ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Children: Prosecutions

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Attorney-General how many children with mental health difficulties have been prosecuted by the Crown Prosecution Service in England and Wales in each year since 2010. [R]

Oliver Heald: The Crown Prosecution Service does not maintain a central record of the number of defendants, including those identified as children, with mental health difficulties who have been prosecuted. To obtain details of the number of cases where such circumstances apply would require a manual exercise of reviewing individual case files to be undertaken at a disproportionate cost.

Chris Huhne and Vicky Pryce

Philip Davies: To ask the Attorney-General what costs his Department has incurred in prosecuting the case of (a) Christopher Huhne and (b) Vasiliki Pryce.

Dominic Grieve: The total cost the CPS incurred in prosecuting the case was £150,710.88. The cost incurred in relation to each defendant individually is not available, as some of the costs were recorded for both defendants collectively.

Crown Courts

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many and what proportion of cases at the Crown Court in (a) 2013-14 and (b) each of the previous five financial years were subject to (i) a decision by the prosecution to offer no evidence, (ii) a judge-ordered acquittal, (iii) a judge-directed acquittal and (iv) an acquittal after trial.

Dominic Grieve: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) maintains a central record of the outcomes of prosecutions, on a defendant basis, at the Crown court. Prosecution outcomes comprise convictions; guilty pleas and convictions after trial. Unsuccessful outcomes represent all other outcomes and include judge ordered acquittals (discontinuances, indictment stayed, charges left on file and no evidence offered), judge directed acquittals, acquittals after trial and administrative finalisations.
	The following table shows the volume and proportion of defendants as a total of the 13 CPS Areas, where the CPS offered no evidence, where a judge ordered or directed an acquittal and where the defendant was acquitted after trial, in each of the last six years.
	
		
			  (i) Offer no evidence (ii) Judge ordered acquittal (iii) Judge directed acquittal (iv) Acquittal after trial  
			  Number Percentage Number Percentage Number Percentage Number Percentage Total prosecuted 
			 2008-09 9,734 9.4 12,198 11.7 990 1.0 5,703 5.5 103,890 
			 2009-10 10,537 9.6 12,930 11.7 1,048 1.0 6,316 5.7 110,146 
			 2010-11 12,433 10.6 14,958 12.8 1,101 0.9 6,810 5.8 116,898 
			 2011-12 10,543 9.8 12,527 11.7 857 0.8 6,290 5.9 107,244 
			 2012-13 9,106 9.5 11,099 11.6 774 0.8 5,998 6.3 95,862 
			 2013-14 7,795 8.3 10,714 11.5 620 0.7 5,584 6.0 93,446 
			 Data Source: CPS Case Management Information System

Crown Prosecution Service

Keith Vaz: To ask the Attorney-General pursuant to the answer of 16 June 2014, Official Report, column 389W, on the legal profession, what proportion of the money spent on consultancy fees by the Crown Prosecution Service was paid to which companies for what services in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012, (d) 2013 and (e) 2014 to date.

Dominic Grieve: A table setting out the proportion of the money spent on consultancy fees by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) paid to companies for services in financial years from 2010-11 to 2013-14 has been placed in the Library of the House, together with the corresponding expenditure. The CPS financial reporting systems are configured to provide information based on financial rather than calendar years.

Crown Prosecution Service

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General what steps he plans to take in response to the funding of HM Chief Inspectorate of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in his Annual Report 2013-14, page 4 that the background of continuing resource reductions is now having an impact on the ability of the CPS to deliver effectively across the whole range of its activity.

Dominic Grieve: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has a comprehensive cost reduction strategy to 2015-16 that is fully aligned to, and supports, CPS priorities and objectives. The strategy will ensure that the department meets the SR2013 savings targets.
	In their annual report for 2013-14 the Inspectorate acknowledged that CPS had improved its performance on serious and complex cases and also highlighted CPS success in hate crime cases and those involving violence against women and girls. The report was largely based on cases completed more than a year ago and more recent data shows performance improvements across the board since then. For example, magistrates courts are seeing more guilty pleas and fewer cases dropped while the Crown courts are showing increasing conviction rates-now at 81% across England and Wales. The challenges mentioned in the report are being addressed but they should be seen in the context of an improving prosecution service across the country.

Magistrates' Courts

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many and what proportion of cases at the magistrates' court in (a) 2013-14 and (b) each of the previous five financial years were subject to a (i) decision by the prosecution to discontinue the case, (ii) decision in committal proceedings to discharge the defendant, (iii) decision by the magistrate to dismiss the case on grounds of no case to answer and (iv) dismissal after trial.

Dominic Grieve: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) maintains a central record of the outcomes of prosecutions, on a defendant basis, at magistrates' courts. Prosecution outcomes comprise convictions; guilty pleas, convictions after trial and cases proved in the absence of the defendant. Unsuccessful outcomes represent all other outcomes and include prosecutions dropped (discontinuances, withdrawals, prosecutions stayed and no evidence offered), discharged committals, dismissals and administrative finalisations.
	The following table shows the volume and proportion of defendants whose proceedings were discontinued by way of a written notice under Section 23 of the Prosecution of Offences Act 1985, discharged at committal, dismissed no case to answer by magistrates and dismissed after a full trial, in each of the last six years.
	
		
			  (i) Discontinued (ii) Discharged committal (iii) Dismissed no case to answer (iv) Dismissed after full trial  
			  Number Percentage Number Percentage Number Percentage Number Percentage Total prosecuted 
			 2008-09 30,226 3.3 1,984 0.2 1,707 0.2 18,682 2.0 928,708 
			 2009-10 30,665 3.5 2,252 0.3 1,605 0.2 20,322 2.3 872,585 
			 2010-11 32,532 3.9 1,690 0.2 1,525 0.2 19,517 2.3 840,983 
			 2011-12 30,217 3.8 1,308 0.2 1,362 0.2 17,681 2.2 787,547 
			 2012-13 26,600 3.8 1,270 0.2 1,224 0.2 17,168 2.5 700,423 
			 2013-14 23,083 3.6 308 0.0 1,433 0.2 17,805 2.8 633,306 
			 Data Source: CPS Case Management Information System

Pay

Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Attorney-General how many officials in the Law Officers' Departments, of each grade, have remained at that grade since 2010 but received a pay rise; and how much of a rise each such person at each such grade has received.

Dominic Grieve: Tables containing the information requested plus accompanying notes have been placed in the Library of the House.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Buildings

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much has been spent on refurbishing (a) gymnasium and leisure facilities, (b) cafeteria and (c) interior decoration in (i) his Department and (ii) buildings owned by his Department in (A) 2013 and (B) 2014 to date.

Jo Swinson: The Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has spent a total of £45,368.90 on refurbishment works since 2013.
	BIS spent the following on refurbishment during 2013-14.
	
		
			 Building Works Cost (£) 
			 1 Victoria St Redecoration of walls and ladies cubicle shower in sub-basement 663.46 
			 1 Victoria St New showers in basement 989.33 
			 1 Victoria St Painting of walls in meeting rooms 756.03 
			 1 Victoria St Repainting in the lower ground changing room 639.06 
			 10 Victoria St Decoration of 7th floor office and installation of secondary double glazing 3,487.97 
			 10 Victoria St Re-decoration and re-carpeting works on 3rd floor 29,256.61 
			    
			 Total year 2013-14  35,792.46 
		
	
	BIS spent the following on refurbishment so far during 2014-2015.
	
		
			 Building Works Cost (£) 
			 1 Victoria St Restaurant decoration works 9,576.44 
			    
			 Total year 2013-14  9,576.44

Directors

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many directors have been disqualified in the first quarter of the current financial year.

Jo Swinson: A total of 341 directors were disqualified during the first quarter of this financial year.

Grant Thornton

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 9 April 2014, Official Report, columns 286-87W, on Grant Thornton, how many of the 70 recorded complaints about insolvency practitioners from Grant Thornton in respect to formal insolvency procedures were successful.

Jo Swinson: According to information provided by the recognised professional bodies, 18 of the 70 complaints recorded about insolvency practitioners from Grant Thornton between June 2013 and March 2014 and which were passed to a recognised professional body for consideration have been closed with no further action taken. The remainder are ongoing.

Insolvency Service

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills to which offices in the Insolvency Service he plans to recruit administrative staff over the next 18 months.

Jo Swinson: The Insolvency Service reviews its staffing requirements on a regular basis and responds to local needs as and when they arise. There are plans to recruit administrative staff in the following locations: Plymouth and/or Exeter; London; and Birmingham. This includes apprenticeships recruited in accordance with Civil Service Employee Policy guidance and through the Civil Service Fast Track Apprenticeship Scheme.
	Overall work force plans will be reviewed in the autumn, once the outcome of the current voluntary redundancy scheme is known and a better assessment of the agency’s work load can be made in the light of the number of insolvency cases in the first five months of the year.

Minimum Wage

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will take steps to increase the national minimum wage so that its real terms value is equal to that of January 2010.

Jo Swinson: This Government is fully committed to the national minimum wage (NMW) set by the independent Low Pay Commission (LPC) at a level that maximises the wages of the low paid without damaging their employment prospects by setting it too high.
	We welcome the LPC’s 2014 assessment that marks the start of a new phase of bigger, real increases in the minimum wage, provided economic conditions continue to improve. In our recent 2015 remit we have asked the LPC to think ahead and build on the forward guidance that sets out our ambition to see real increases in the NMW.
	Furthermore, since its introduction the NMW has increased faster than average earnings and inflation without an adverse effect on employment. From October this year the 3% rise of the adult rate means full time workers on national minimum wage will receive an additional £355 a year. This is the biggest cash increase since 2008.

Morecambe

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will estimate how much money his Department has spent in Morecambe and Lunesdale constituency since May 2010.

Jo Swinson: The Department does not keep records of how much money has been or will be spent in individual constituencies. To provide an answer for a particular area would require significant analysis and incur disproportionate cost.

Official Receiver

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many disqualification reports were submitted by the Leeds, Sheffield and Hull Official Receiver’s offices in the year ending 31 March 2014; and what the target is for the combined Leeds office for the year ending 31 March 2015.

Jo Swinson: The Service records disqualification report submissions by Official Receiver Command and not by location. A Command is overseen by a single Official Receiver and, currently, the Service has 18 Commands based over between one and three geographic locations.
	
		
			 Successful submissions for the year ended 31 March 2014 
			  Reports authorised to proceed 
			 Humber and East Yorkshire Command (Hull) 18 
			 Northern Command (Leeds) 4 
			 East Midlands and South Yorkshire Command (Leicester, Nottingham, Sheffield) 27 
		
	
	From 1 April 2014, the East Midlands and South Yorkshire Command became East Midlands Command; with Sheffield transferred into the Northern Command. Northern Command has a target of 12 disqualification reports submitted and authorised to proceed in the year ending 31 March 2015.
	In November 2014, with the closure of the Hull office, the Humber and East Yorkshire Command will be amalgamated with the Northern Command. A revised target for successful disqualification submissions for the combined Command has not yet been set and will be established as part of routine planning later in the year.

Official Receiver

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many disqualification reports have been submitted by Official Receiver’s offices in the first quarter of the current financial year.

Jo Swinson: A total of 76 disqualification reports were submitted by Official Receivers’ offices in the first quarter of this financial year.

Official Receiver: Leeds

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many desks there were in the Leeds Official Receiver’s office on 30 June 2014; and how many such desks were are unoccupied.

Jo Swinson: As of 30 June 2014, the total number of desks in the Leeds Official Receiver’s office is 124. The total number of unoccupied desks is 52.

Official Receiver: Leeds

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how long the lease for the Leeds Official Receiver’s office has left to run; and when it was signed.

Jo Swinson: The lease for the Leeds Official Receiver’s office started on 28 August 2003 and will end on 27 August 2018.

Skilled Workers

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what action his Department is taking to address the exploitation of low-skilled workers.

Jo Swinson: In order to protect the rights of workers, this Department is taking a tougher approach on all employers that break minimum wage law. We have already made it simpler to name and shame employers that break the law in this area. The revised Naming and Shaming scheme came into effect on 1 October 2013. The new rules are part of Government efforts to toughen up enforcement of the National Minimum Wage and increase compliance.
	The Government has already publicly named 30 employers. Between them they owe workers a total of over £50,000 in arrears and have been charged financial penalties totalling over £24,000. By naming and shaming employers it is hoped that bad publicity will be an additional deterrent to employers who would otherwise be tempted not to pay the National Minimum Wage.
	The Government has also doubled the financial penalty percentage that employers pay for breaking minimum wage law from 50% to 100% of the unpaid wages owed to workers and quadrupled the maximum penalty from £5,000 to £20,000. The Government will now introduce primary legislation so that a maximum penalty of up to £20,000 can be applied on a per worker basis—significantly increasing the maximum penalty employers can face.
	In addition, through the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Bill the Government is bringing forward measures to ban exclusivity clauses in zero-hours contracts and through secondary legislation to ban employment agencies using an ‘overseas only’ approach to filling posts. Both measures will further enhance the opportunities for workers, especially in low-skilled professions.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Arts: Primary Education

Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 7 July, Official Report, columns 143-44W on Arts: Primary Education, what data are collected by his Department as part of the Taking Part survey.

Edward Vaizey: A copy of this data has been placed in the House of Commons Library system on 19 June (ref: DEP2014/0898).

Arts: Primary Education

Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what data his Department has collected from the Taking Part Survey on the primary school pupils from each region who have engaged with (a) theatre activities, (b) music activities, (c) dance and (d) other arts in each year since 2009-10.

Helen Grant: Child data from the Taking Part survey for 5-10 year olds relates to out of school activity only. A table detailing 5-10 year olds out of school participation in individual art forms broken down by region will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses. It should be noted that the confidence intervals around the point estimates are large meaning that in most instances robust comparisons between regions and time periods cannot be made.

Arts: Primary Education

Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport with reference to the Taking Part Survey, what proportion of primary pupils from (a) disadvantaged backgrounds and (b) non-disadvantaged backgrounds have engaged with (i) theatre activities, (ii) music activities, (iii) dance and (iv) other arts in each year since 2009-10.

Helen Grant: Child data from the Taking Part survey for 5-10 year olds relates to out of school activity only. Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) groupings have been used as a proxy for advantaged/disadvantaged backgrounds. To enable sufficient sample size to allow for robust comparisons to be made these have been combined into the lower five groups and the upper five groups. A table detailing 5-10 year olds out of school participation in individual art forms broken down by lower and upper IMD will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

ICT: East Yorkshire

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what analysis his Department has carried out of (a) mobile telephone network coverage and (b) high speed broadband coverage in east Yorkshire; and what steps his Department is taking and on what timescale to improve that coverage.

Edward Vaizey: Ofcom monitors and publishes broadband coverage data and it currently reports that superfast broadband coverage in the East Riding of Yorkshire stands at 21.6%. The Government has allocated over £10 million to support improvements to broadband infrastructure in East Riding, with phase 1 of the project scheduled for completion toward the end of 2015 and phase 2 scheduled to enter procurement in late summer of 2014. Ofcom also report that mobile voice coverage in the East Riding (2G) is available from at least one operator to over 99% of premises. Government is working to improve mobile voice coverage in poorly served areas through its £150 million Mobile Infrastructure Project.

Morecambe

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will estimate how much money his Department has spent in Morecambe and Lunesdale constituency since May 2010.

Helen Grant: Our records show that from May 2010 to date, for the “Superfast Lancashire project” within which the Morecambe and Lunesdale constituency falls, Broadband Delivery UK, which is part of the department, has provided £980,000 in grant funding. In addition we can identify that £21,875 of grants from the Listed Place of Worship Scheme have been awarded in the Morecambe and Lunesdale constituency. However as the department’s financial systems do not routinely record expenditure by constituency or similar geographical areas, a more detailed analysis of spending in the Department could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Pay

Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many officials in his Department, of each grade, have remained at that grade since 2010 but received a pay rise; and how much of a rise each such person at each such grade has received.

Helen Grant: The Department’s database management system does not record this information in a way that can extract the information asked for. To identify this information for each employee would incur disproportionate cost. Pay awards for civil service departments are limited to an average of up to one percent of overall pay bill costs.

Public Libraries: West Midlands

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  how many public libraries have closed in (a) Birmingham and (b) the West Midlands in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many new build libraries have opened in (a) England, (b) the West Midlands and (c) Birmingham in each of the last five years;
	(3)  how many public libraries there were in each region and constituent part of the UK in each of the last five years.

Edward Vaizey: The detail requested is not held centrally by this Department. However the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) collect, annually, from the individual library authorities comprehensive information relating library service provision in the United Kingdom. This data includes detail relating to the number of service points open to the public 10 hours or more per week, but does not include information on the number of closures or how many new build libraries have opened. The CIPFA data reflects the net figure of public libraries open in each year. Copies of CIPFA statistics are available in the House Library.

Sports: Morecambe

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what funding his Department has made available for community sports facilities in Morecambe and Lunesdale constituency.

Helen Grant: The information is as follows:
	
		
			 Sport England’s direct investment in facilities in Morecambe and Lunesdale since 2009 
			 Organisation Programme Name Award 
			 Lancaster John O'Gaunt Rowing Club Inspired Facilities 42,521 
			 Morecambe Cricket Club Protecting Play Fields 49,350 
			 Vale of Lune RUFC Inspired Facilities 50,000 
			 Morecambe and Heysham Yacht Club Inspired Facilities 50,000 
			 Lancaster City Council Sports Lighting 150,000 
			 Silverdale Cricket Club Small Grants 9,344 
			 Heysham Cricket Club Small Grants 7,315 
			 City of Lancaster Gymnastics and Trampoline Club Small Grants 10,000 
			 — — 368,530 
		
	
	Sport England also invested £1.9 million in 1994 in the development of the Salt Ayre Sports Centre.
	Sport England has number of funding programmes for sports facilities projects open throughout the year. Local sports clubs can check
	http://www.sportengland.org/funding
	to see which funding programmes they could apply to.

Sports: Northern Ireland

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what work UK Sport is undertaking to help attract major sporting events to Northern Ireland.

Helen Grant: With its successful hosting of the start of this year’s Giro d’Italia, Northern Ireland has demonstrated its ability to stage major sporting events. UK Sport recently met with the Northern Ireland Tourism Board (NITB) to explain its support to major events and has committed to meet with the NITB every six months. UK Sport is finalising dates for an additional meeting with Sport NI and the NITB to discuss this area further. UK Sport has established a major events agency co-ordination group, including Northern Ireland, which met for the first time this month. UK Sport works with national governing bodies to identify the UK’s major event hosting targets and this is regularly shared with Northern Ireland colleagues.

DEFENCE

Army: Recruitment

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the National Audit Office report, Army 2020, HC 263, published on 11 June 2014, page five, if he will provide a breakdown of the £5.3 billion savings that reductions in the army would save from 2012-13 to 2021-22.

Mark Francois: The vast majority-approximately 85%-of the savings referred to in the National Audit Office report, Army 2020, are the direct result of the reduction in the size of the Regular Army from 94,000 to 82,500.
	The remaining savings arise from associated cost reductions, such as the reduced requirement for civilian support.

NATO

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his priorities are for the forthcoming NATO summit in Newport, Wales.

Julian Brazier: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer my predecessor, my hon. Friend the Member for South West Wiltshire (Dr Murrison), gave on 14 July 2014, Official Report, column 564, to the hon. Member for Glasgow North West (John Robertson).

Tornado Aircraft

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what risk rating was placed on a collision involving a Tornado and another aircraft in (a) 1991, (b) 1998 and (c) 2010.

Philip Dunne: The risk rating placed on a collision involving a Tornado for the years 1991 and 1998 is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. For 2010 the risk placed on a collision involving a Tornado classifies the severity of Mid Air Collision as ‘Catastrophic’, and the likelihood as ‘Remote’. Nevertheless, we have initiated a programme to fit Tornado aircraft with a collision warning system, which is currently being trialed on two aircraft and a third has been fitted for further development. On current planning, we intend to introduce this capability in stages from later this year.

Tornado Aircraft

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what quantitative criteria have been used to set to remote the risk probability of a collision involving a Tornado aircraft.

Philip Dunne: Military Aviation Authority Regulatory Article 1210 defines categories for quantifying the likelihood of a risk as follows:
	“Likelihood is assessed with respect to the likelihood of the assessed consequence of a hazard. This is based on the likelihood of a single accident resulting in harm for a particular fleet. The appropriate category listed as follows must be used:
	a. Frequent: Likely to occur at least several times a year.
	b. Occasional: Likely to occur one or more times per year.
	c. Remote: Likely to occur one or more times in 10 years.
	d. Improbable: Unlikely to occur in 10 years.”
	A panel of suitably qualified and experienced persons from the Tornado Force calculated the risk likelihood for the Tornado risk register based on this definition.

Tornado Aircraft

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Tornado aircrew were actively involved in flying during (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012 and (d) 2013.

Mark Francois: I am withholding the information requested as its disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the armed forces.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 30 June 2014, Official Report, column 354W, on Afghanistan, how many evidence-based assessments have been carried out by his Department on the effects of lethal targeting; and if his Department will carry out or commission further assessment on use of remotely piloted air systems in Afghanistan in carrying out a post-campaign strategic review. [R]

Mark Francois: All weapons released by UK Combat aircraft in Afghanistan, be that Fast Jet, Remotely Piloted Air System or Rotary Wing platforms, are done so under the command of a pilot bound by UK Rules of Engagement. Following each release of a weapon by a UK platform, post mission analysis and a battle damage assessment is completed in theatre. I am withholding further details as their disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the armed forces.
	The Secretary of State for Defence has previously said that there will be a need to review the strategic lessons from the Afghanistan campaign, but that time will be when combat operations are complete and all relevant information is available.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Agriculture: Technology

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to encourage investment in agricultural technologies to increase the efficiency of food production.

George Eustice: DEFRA is working with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Department for International Development to implement the Government's Agri-Tech Strategy. The Strategy is investing £160 million in projects and industry-led Centres of Agricultural Innovation to support an increase in agricultural productivity. In addition, a dedicated UKTI Unit has been established to increase the volume and value of overseas investment in the UK Agri-Tech sector.
	The Strategy is industry-led. It is driven forward by a Leadership Council which brings together representatives of research bodies and the sector to identify and advise on industry priorities and to promote the Strategy within the sector.

Fishing Catches

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what proportion of commercial landings of fish and shellfish from UK-registered fishing vessels were taken from a depth below 800 metres in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012 and (d) 2013;
	(2)  how many UK-registered fishing vessels practise bottom trawling below a depth of 600 metres; and for what proportion of time spent at sea those bottom trawlers trawl below (a) 600 metres and (b) 800 metres;
	(3)  what tonnage of fish and shellfish quota was allocated to the UK under the Deep Sea Access Regime in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012 and (d) 2013;
	(4)  what proportion of the total commercial landings of fish and shellfish from UK registered fishing vessels was taken from a depth below 600 metres in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012 and (d) 2013.

George Eustice: Determination of catches according to depth criteria and the time vessels fish at particular depths is labour intensive and requires extensive spatial analysis of catch records and vessel activity within a geographical information system. From analysis related to the EU deep sea access regime update discussions, we have provisional catch and vessel data available covering 2006-12 (see tables). This covers total annual catches (all species) and the proportion of these caught below 600 m, and vessels targeting deep sea species at depths greater than 600 m. We have not carried out similar analysis related to depths greater than 800 m or covering 2013. Quota is not allocated to member states under the EU deep sea access regime.
	
		
			 EU Deep Sea Access regime proposal: UK vessel fishing activities at >600 m—provisional data 
			  All vessels in data set (all species) 
			  Total number of vessels Vessels fishing > 600 m Total landings Total landings > 600 m Percentage landings > 600 m 
			 2006 1,212 92 138,457 20,501 14.81 
			 2007 1,357 76 146,949 17,867 12.16 
			 2008 1,329 76 174,491 18,499 10.60 
			 2009 1,389 90 158,394 17,612 11.12 
			 2010 1,298 81 171,867 18,020 10.48 
			 2011 1,258 56 149,626 11,766 7.86 
			 2012 1,252 58 165,404 13,098 7.92 
		
	
	
		
			  Total vessels targeting deep sea species (at 10% of catch) excluding ling and conger Total vessels targeting deep sea species (at 10% of catch) excluding ling and conger > 600 m Total landings Total landings >600 m Percentage landings > 600 m 
			 2006 81 44 46,868 17,550 37.44 
			 2007 70 44 39,587 15,394 38.89 
			 2008 78 45 48,941 15,981 32.65 
			 2009 93 49 45,801 15,566 33.99 
			 2010 59 40 42,064 13,893 33.03 
			 2011 59 30 32,706 9,251 28.29 
			 2012 45 25 34,882 10,980 31.48

ICT

Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many mobile telephones, BlackBerrys and laptops were lost by her Department in (a) 2013 and (b) 2014 to date.

Dan Rogerson: The table below shows losses of official equipment in core DEFRA for calendar year 2013 and 2014.
	
		
			  2013 20141 
			 Laptops 14 2 
			 BlackBerrys 6 5 
			 Mobile phones 1 0 
			 1 1 January to 8 July 2014.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Albania

Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of progress made by Albania towards EU accession candidate status.

David Lidington: The General Affairs Council agreed on 24 June to grant Albania EU candidate status, but with tough conditions for the next stage of the process. We recognise the progress Albania has made, including in tackling organised crime and corruption, but believe significant additional reforms are required before further steps can be taken towards EU accession. Particular areas of concern include reform of public administration; independence, efficiency and accountability of judicial institutions; the fight against corruption; the fight against organised crime; action to tackle illegal migration; protection of human rights, anti-discrimination policies and property rights.

Marketing

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much has been spent on the GREAT campaign in each country in each year since the campaign's launch.

Hugo Swire: From February 2012 to March 2013 the total budget for the GREAT Britain Campaign was £37 million. This was split predominantly between the following 10 markets. Brazil, India, China, Hong Kong, US, Australia, Canada, Japan, France and Germany
	For April 2013 to March 2014 the total budget was £30 million across 12 markets:—China, Hong Kong, India, Brazil, France, Germany, Turkey, South Korea, US, Mexico, Russia, Indonesia.
	April 2014 to March 2015 the total budget will be £46.5 million across 13 markets:—China, Hong Kong, India, Brazil, US, Gulf, France, Germany, Turkey, South Korea, Indonesia, Mexico, Emerging Europe (Poland/Czech Republic/Hungary/Romania/Slovakia).
	Because of the way the campaign’s finances were organised, a breakdown of expenditure by country is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Rendition

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Chichester, Official Report, column 172W, on 8 July 2014, on Diego Garcia, for what reason records of flight occurrence logs were water damaged; in what format the records are kept; and whether that format has been changed since the damage.

Tobias Ellwood: During routine work to add existing records to the store in Diego Garcia, British Indian Ocean Territories (BIOT) immigration officials noted water damage to a small number of records, caused by a leaking roof. This is believed to have resulted from extremely heavy weather in June 2014. Although the extent of the damage was not clear on initial inspection at the time, I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Boston and Skegness (Mark Simmonds) on 8 July 2014, Official Report, column 172W.
	However, since 8 July, BIOT immigration officials have conducted a fuller inspection, and previously wet paper records have been dried out. They report that no flight records have been lost as a result of the water damage. A small number of immigration arrival cards from 2004 have been damaged, but that information about those flights is still available in the daily occurrence logs and monthly statistics. These records provide dates of aircraft movements in the territory, and passenger and crew numbers.
	Following the incident, all hard copy records from the affected location are being transferred from the airport to a new location, and will be digitalised over the coming months.

Sexual Harassment

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many complaints of sexual harassment in his Department have been (a) formally reported and (b) upheld in each year since 2010.

Tobias Ellwood: Bullying or harassment is never tolerated in the Department and any reported incidents are investigated as a priority. There have been three sexual harassment complaints made by FCO employees against other employees since 2010. Of these, two complaints have been upheld. The breakdown of cases by year is as follows:
	2010—0
	2011—0
	2012—one (not upheld)
	2013—two
	2014—0 </form>

Sri Lanka

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his Sri Lankan counterparts on protecting the rights of religious minorities in that country.

Hugo Swire: We continue to raise our concerns about attacks against religious minorities in Sri Lanka with the Sri Lankan Government, including the most recent violence in Aluthgama and Beruwala. Through our High Commissioner in Colombo, we have urged the Sri Lankan Government to take early action to promote peaceful co-existence between all communities, noting the importance of ensuring any acts of violence, intimidation or threats are thoroughly investigated and those responsible brought to justice.
	The Head of the EU Delegation has raised recent developments with the Sri Lankan Defence Secretary on behalf of EU Heads of Mission. The EU delegation has also released a statement in agreement with EU Heads of Mission in Sri Lanka condemning the violence and has called on the Sri Lankan Government to uphold law and order. On 7 July, I met members of the Sri Lankan Muslim community resident in the UK whose family and friends were directly affected by recent violence in order to hear their concerns.

Sri Lanka

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department intends to take to support the investigation of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights into alleged abuses in Sri Lanka.

Hugo Swire: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I have given to question 194376, 3 Apr 2014, Official Report, column 742W.

HEALTH

Cancer

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to monitor the standard of care received by cancer patients and to reduce regional variations in the standard of such care.

Jane Ellison: The latest Cancer Patient Experience Survey results, from 2013, shows that whilst variations between trusts still exist, the overall range of variation for many indicators has narrowed.
	For example, in 2010 the proportion of patients saying that they had been given the name of a Clinical Nurse Specialist ranged from 92% in the highest performing trust to 59% in the poorest performing trust (33 points); by 2013 this had reduced to 97% to 76% (21 points).
	NHS England is working with NHS Improving Quality to develop better ways of using the Cancer Patient Experience Survey (CPES) data within the national health service in order to maximise the impact of the survey, to be able to work with successful and struggling organisations to spread best practice for example. NHS Improving Quality will be doing a suite of work across all surveys to understand what the barriers are to implementing change and to showcase best practice where real improvements can be demonstrated.
	The CPES survey results are delivered to every organisation so each can see how they compare to other organisations. Currently, the action plans are taken into account as part of peer reviews. NHS England would expect that every trust board should know its own survey results and take account of them.
	Clinical commissioning groups are currently in the process of finalising measurable levels of ambition to improve patient experience and will be holding providers to account. These are based on NHS England's new measure for poor inpatient experience which includes dignity and respect and communication.

Dementia

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to support the carers of people who have dementia.

Norman Lamb: On 28 February 2014, the Department set out an ambition for people with dementia and their carers to have high-quality care and support, which includes timely access to support for carers. The Department is supporting the Dementia Action Alliance's carers call to action, which sets out a shared vision and four actions to improve quality of life for carers of people with dementia.
	In its Commitment to Carers, published on 7 May 2014, NHS England confirmed it will support timely diagnosis of dementia and support for carers. The revised Dementia Enhanced Service, which will be introduced from March 2015, will include an offer of a health check for carers and signposting to relevant information, advice and support. In 2013-14, the dementia Commissioning for Quality and Innovation goal was extended to include support for carers of-people with dementia.
	Carers are central to the Government's reform of care and support, with significant improvements in the Care Act which extend carers' rights to an assessment which will be based on the appearance of a need for support. For the first time, local authorities will be required to meet carers' eligible needs for support. The Act also creates a new statutory principle to promote an individual's well-being, including health and emotional well-being, which will apply equally to carers. We have provided £400 million to the national health service over four years from 2011 for carers to have breaks from their caring responsibilities. The £3.8 billion Better Care Fund includes £130 million funding for carers' breaks from 2015-16.

Dentistry

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the implications for the NHS of the decision by the General Dental Council to raise their compulsory statutory annual retention fee from £576 per annum to £945 per annum.

Daniel Poulter: No assessment has been made of the implications for the national health service of the decision by the General Dental Council (GDC) on their proposal to increase the annual retention fee.
	The GDC is an independent body and it is therefore for the GDC Council to determine the level of the annual fee it charges for registration. The proposed fee increase is subject to public consultation where the GDC’s case will be scrutinised. The Department does not usually contribute to such consultations but all professional regulators, including the GDC, are aware of the Department’s position on registration fees. In February 2011, the Government published Enabling Excellence, which states that we would not expect registration fees to increase beyond their current levels, unless there is a clear and robust business case that any increase is essential to ensure the exercise of statutory duties.

Disability Aids

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  when he will lay before Parliament the 2013-14 report on research and development work relating to assistive technology;
	(2)  what discussions his Department had in advance of the decision to end the independent production of the annual report to Parliament on research and development work relating to assistive technology and to reduce the scope of that report.

Daniel Poulter: Section 22 of the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970 sets out the following requirement:
	“The Secretary of State shall as respects each year lay before Parliament a report on the progress made during that year in research and development work carried out by or on behalf of any Minister of the Crown in relation to equipment that might increase the range of activities and independence or well-being of disabled persons, and in particular such equipment that might improve the indoor and outdoor mobility of such persons.”
	In recent years the report has been produced by the Foundation for Assistive Technology, and this contract with the Department expired in June 2014.
	The Department plans to lay the 2013-14 report before Parliament before the summer recess.
	The Department has to deliver change in a climate of continuing fiscal challenge and constraint on public spending, and the approach to reporting on assistive technology research and development is aligned with this. The Department does not therefore plan to invite tenders for production of section 22 reports from 2014-15 and will produce future reports on a smaller scale and of sufficient quality to meet the statutory requirement. This will be done in-house at no additional cost.
	As the Government will continue to meet the statutory requirement, no specific discussions have taken place about production of reports from 2014-15.

General Practitioners

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations he has received from doctors on the reforms in GP contracts needed to increase the number of GPs.

Daniel Poulter: The Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), regularly meets with representatives of the medical profession, including British Medical Association and Royal College of General Practitioners, to discuss a variety of issues, including recruitment.

General Practitioners

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to increase GP numbers.

Daniel Poulter: I refer my hon. Friend to the written answer I gave him on 23 June 2014, Official Report, column 20W.

General Practitioners

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of GPs needed to eliminate any shortfall in primary health care.

Daniel Poulter: The Department set up Health Education England (HEE) to deliver a better health and healthcare work force for England. HEE is responsible for ensuring a secure work force supply for the future balancing need against demand, taking into account factors such as the age profile of the existing workforce, the impact of technology, and new drugs.
	The Department has recognised the need to increase the general practitioner (GP) work force and between September 2010 and September 2013, the number of full time equivalent GPs has risen by 1,051. Additionally, the Department has included in the HEE mandate a requirement that
	“HEE will ensure that 50% of trainees completing foundation level training enter GP training programmes by 2016”.
	This will support future growth in GP numbers.
	Further work is being undertaken by HEE to improve applications and fill rate in to GP training to support the mandate target of 3,250 appointments into GP training by 2016 in England. This includes a review of the GP recruitment process, developing a pre-GP year to give exposure to prospective GP applicants of the specialty and careers advice for foundation doctors and medical students.
	In recognition of the contribution the GP work force makes in the national health service, HEE will also undertake additional work on GP recruitment and retention, return to practice and reducing attrition rates, all of which will play a part in increasing the GP work force.
	Additionally, the Department commissioned the Centre for Workforce Intelligence to conduct an in-depth review of the GP work force. The report will be published shortly and will build on the preliminary findings published in March 2013.
	The review will assess:
	current work force numbers to forecast supply;
	key drivers affecting work force demand; and
	regional variations in demand.
	The review will make recommendations for future work force planning. It will also address issues such as GP workload and the 2016 recruitment target and beyond, as well as wider issues around primary care delivery.
	Transforming Primary Care, which was published in April 2014 by the Department and NHS England and set out actions being taken towards the vision of personalised, proactive care. Transforming Primary Care made the following commitment;
	‘To ensure that we have a workforce ready to meet the challenges of the future, we are planning to make available around 10,000 primary and community health and care professionals by 2020, in support of the shift in how care will be provided’.

General Practitioners

Richard Graham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the targets are on waiting times for appointments within the latest GP contract;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the effect on overall satisfaction levels of waiting times for GP appointments; and if he will make a statement.

Daniel Poulter: The general practitioner (GP) contract does not include any targets regarding waiting times for appointments. Under the terms of their contracts, GPs are required to provide primary medical services between 8am to 6.30pm from Monday to Friday to meet the reasonable needs of their patients.
	The latest GP patient survey results, published this month, found that 74.6%-of patients rate their overall experience of making an appointment as good.
	The Prime Minister's £50 million Challenge Fund will help over 1,100 practices, covering 7.5 million people, to develop new ways of improving GP access, including better access to GPs in evenings and at weekends and greater use of telephone, email and skype consultations.

General Practitioners

Richard Graham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the proportion of GPs work taken up by administration; and what changes there have been in that proportion in the last five years.

Daniel Poulter: There is no official survey of the proportion of general practitioners (GPs) workload taken up by administration. However, the Department and NHS England take account of feedback from a range of sources including the GP worklife survey, feedback from individual GPs and also from their professional representatives.
	There were important changes to the GP contract this year to reduce unnecessary bureaucracy. More than a third of indicators were removed from the Quality and Outcomes Framework in order to free up time to allow GPs to provide more proactive, holistic care, particularly for older people and those with more complex needs.

General Practitioners

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department issues to GPs on the use of telephone diagnosis.

Daniel Poulter: The means by which a general practitioner (GP) consultation is conducted is entirely a matter for the practice and for the GP's clinical judgement. NHS England do not advise practices on the best means of diagnosis. However they would support the use of telephone consultation as it is a service that is valued by many patients and for some patients it would be their preferred method of receiving a service from the GP.
	The Prime Minister's £50 million Challenge Fund will help over 1,100 practices, covering 7.5 million people, to develop new ways of improving GP access. This includes better access to GPs in evenings and at weekends and greater use of telephone, email and video consultations.

Ministers: Official Cars

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many journeys Ministers of his Department have made using the Government Car Service; and how many such journeys were for the transportation of a red box.

Daniel Poulter: The information cannot be provided without incurring disproportionate cost.

Morecambe

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate how much money his Department has spent in Morecambe and Lunesdale constituency since May 2010.

Daniel Poulter: In general, the Department allocates funding to NHS England, which both allocates funding in turn to clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) and commissions certain services directly itself. The Department also makes allocations to local authorities for public health functions.
	The Government has protected the overall health budget for the national health service in England. Every CCG in England will continue to benefit from stable real terms funding over the next two years. In 2014-15 every CCG's funding has increased by a minimum of 2.14% and will increase by a minimum of 1.7% in 2015-16. This includes the Lancashire North CCG which covers the Morecambe and Lunesdale constituency.

NHS: Innovation

Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the performance of the Innovation, Health and Wealth programme; and what the costs of the programme to date have been in respect of (a) the NHS and (b) external consultancies.

Daniel Poulter: The Innovation, Health and Wealth programme is a 10-year strategy, launched in December 2011, alongside the Government’s Strategy for the UK Life Sciences.
	NHS England has advised that considerable progress has already been made, with the vast majority of actions now complete and showing positive early signs of improvement in uptake and utility of new medicines and technologies in the national health service. NHS England, along with key stakeholders from the NHS, industry and representative bodies, has recently completed a refresh of the programme. This reviewed progress to date and identified areas where further action is needed. NHS England plans to publish the results of that review later this year.
	NHS England has advised that information on expenditure on the Innovation, Health and Wealth programme is not available. Funding for the programme is shown in the table:
	
		
			 £000 
			 Innovation Health and Wealth programme 2013-14 budget 2014-15 budget 
			 Academic Health Science Networks (AHSNs) 56,400 53,600 
		
	
	
		
			 Innovation scorecard 100 100 
			 Healthcare UK 1,000 615 
			 Innovation challenge prizes 1,100 676 
			 Regional Innovation Fund 5,000 3,000 
			 Small Business Research Initiative(through AHSNs) 10,000 20,000 
			 NICE Implementation Collaborative 5 15 
			 Industry council 5 15 
			 Exchange 50 60 
			 EXPO 53 50 
			 Exchange communications 0 50 
			 Fellowship 100 50 
			 Patient pull 20 (not spent) 20 
			 Wheelchair tariff 167 0 
			 Source: Information provided by NHS England

NHS: Innovation

Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to his Department's publication, The NHS as an Innovative Organisation: A Framework and Guidance on the Management of Intellectual Property in the NHS, published in 2002, which of the conclusions of that report have been adopted; and what assessment he has made of the effect on the NHS of their adoption.

Daniel Poulter: The Department has made no recent assessment of the effect of this framework and guidance on the management of intellectual property in the national health service.

Pancreatic Cancer

Mike Gapes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to increase research funding for pancreatic cancer treatments.

Daniel Poulter: The usual practice of the Department's National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) is not to ring-fence funds for expenditure on particular topics: research proposals in all areas compete for the funding available. The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including pancreatic cancer treatment. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and the national health service, value for money and scientific quality.
	In August 2011, the Government announced £800 million investment over five years in a series of NIHR Biomedical Research Centres and Units, including £61.5 million funding for the Royal Marsden/Institute of Cancer Research Biomedical Research Centre, and £6.5 million funding for the Liverpool Biomedical Research Unit in gastrointestinal disease (which has a major focus on pancreatic cancer treatment). Some research they conduct is relevant to multiple cancer sites.
	Pharmaceutical companies work in partnership with NIHR research infrastructure. The NIHR Clinical Research Network is currently hosting six pancreatic cancer treatment studies that are recruiting patients and have commercial funders. Commercial partners also work with the NIHR Biomedical Research Centres and Units, and with the Experimental Cancer Medicine Centres (jointly funded by NIHR and Cancer Research UK).

Pancreatic Cancer

Mike Gapes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps he is taking to ensure earlier diagnosis of pancreatic cancer;
	(2)  what steps he is taking to ensure that GPs make earlier referrals in cases of possible pancreatic cancer;
	(3)  what steps he is taking to improve pancreatic cancer survival rates.

Jane Ellison: Achieving earlier diagnosis of cancer is key to our ambition to save an additional 5,000 lives per year by 2014-15. However, we know that early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer can be very difficult as the symptoms are shared with a wide range of benign conditions.
	The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Referral Guidelines for Suspected Cancer (2005) are available to help general practitioners (GPs) assess when it is appropriate to refer patients for suspected cancer, including pancreatic cancer. NICE is in the process of updating the guidelines to ensure that these reflect latest evidence and can continue to support GPs to identify patients with suspected cancer symptoms and urgently refer them as appropriate. NICE’s anticipated publication date for the revised guidelines is May 2015.
	The cancer waiting times two week urgent suspected cancer standard-which is included in the NHS Constitution-ensures that, where GPs are concerned that a patient might have cancer, they are seen quickly by secondary care.
	In 2013, Macmillan Cancer Support, partly funded by the Department, piloted an electronic cancer decision support tool for GPs to use in their routine practice.
	The tool covered pancreatic cancers and was designed to help GPs identify patients whom they might not otherwise refer urgently for suspected cancer. Over 400 GP practices across England participated in the pilot. A full evaluation of the pilot is currently being undertaken by Cancer Research UK and the Department’s Policy Research Unit and Macmillan Cancer Support is working with GP IT software companies to further develop, promote and disseminate the tool.
	At a local level, it is for individual clinical commissioning groups to promote and enhance the diagnostic capability to deliver better outcomes. Surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy treatments that may be used for pancreatic cancer are commissioned at the moment by NHS England. NHS England’s pancreatic cancer service specification clearly defines what it expects to be in place for providers to offer evidence-based, safe and effective pancreatic cancer services.
	NHS England has recently asked NICE to develop a clinical guideline and quality standard on pancreatic cancer. These will complement the existing Improving Outcomes for Upper Gastro-Intestinal Cancers guidance that describes best practice in the delivery of services for patients with all types of upper gastro-intestinal cancer, including pancreatic cancer.

Primary Health Care

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to improve out-of-hours primary care provision and to minimise dependence on accident and emergency facilities to provide primary care.

Daniel Poulter: The NHS 111 service is becoming a core part of local urgent care systems and provides a vital service, directing patients to the right place including out of hours general practitioner (GP) services. Recent changes to the General Medical Services (GMS) contract mean GPs have to oversee the out of hours care their patients get and report any concerns they have. This is intended to drive up the quality of out of hours services.
	Through the 2014-15 GMS contract the Government is promoting more personalised and proactive care management. It is intended that, by providing more personalised and proactive care for high risk patients, the number of patients that need to be admitted to hospital and the number of unplanned emergency admissions will be reduced.

Prisons: Mental Health Services

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make an assessment of the potential use of mindfulness in prisons to (a) reduce violence in prisons, (b) improve the mental health of prisoners and (c) reduce reoffending.

Norman Lamb: The Department has no current plans to assess the potential use of mindfulness in prisons. Assessing the potential use of mindfulness therapies in prisons in reducing violence, improving prisoners’ mental health or reducing reoffending are matters for other organisations including the Ministry of Justice, the National Offender Management Service and NHS England to consider.

Radiography

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) radiographers and (b) radiologists were in practice in each of the last five years.

Daniel Poulter: The latest annual workforce census data, published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre, provides information on the numbers of radiographers and radiologists working in the national health service in England as at 30 September each year. The numbers of full-time equivalent radiographers and radiologists working in the NHS in England in each of the last five years are shown in the table. The latest available statistics are as at 30 September 2013 and were published on 25 March 2014.
	Radiographers and radiologists also work in the private and independent sectors but the numbers are not collected centrally. The Society of Radiographers may be able to supply more information on radiographers. Their website is available at:
	www.sor.org/
	
		
			 NHS hospital and community health services: medical and dental staff for the radiology specialty group, and non-medical qualified radiography staff in England by area of work, as at 30 September each year, England 
			 Full-time equivalents 
			  2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 
			 Radiology group 3,439 3,492 3,563 3,648 3,729 
			 All qualified radiography staff 14,064 14,389 14,702 15,109 15,461 
			 Diagnostic radiography 11,967 12,212 12,476 12,792 13,089 
			 Therapeutic radiography 2,097 2,177 2,226 2,317 2,372 
			 Notes: 1. Full-time equivalent figures are rounded to the nearest whole number. 2. These statistics relate to the contracted positions within English NHS organisations and may include those where the person assigned to the position is temporarily absent, for example on maternity leave. Sources: 1. Health and Social Care Information Centre Non-Medical Workforce Census 2. Health and Social Care Information Centre Medical and Dental Workforce Census

Surgery

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with NHS England on Specialised Services Circular 1407 and its potential effect on the use of robotic assisted surgery; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison: There have been no discussions between the Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), and NHS England regarding Circular 1407.
	NHS England is currently developing a commissioning policy for Robotic Assisted Surgery (RAS). The national commissioning policy on RAS will ensure that patients have access to procedures and technology that will benefit them, based on a robust evidence review. Until the policy is available NHS England have not requested the cessation or reduction of any existing services but rather a pause on the introduction of any new services or on expansion of current services.

Terminal Illnesses

Liz Kendall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many working-age people in England were diagnosed with a terminal illness in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many people in England on end-of-life registers were in work for each of the last five years.

Norman Lamb: Data on the number of people diagnosed with a terminal illness is not collected centrally.
	Information recorded in Electronic Palliative Care Co-ordination Systems (EPaCCs), also known as ‘locality registers’ or ‘end of life care registers’ is not collected centrally. EPaCCs are implemented locally and are the responsibility of local commissioners. The core data set for EPaCCs does not include information about a dying person's employment status.

Ulipristal Acetate

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he intends to take to ensure that women are made aware of the abortifacient nature of the drug ulipristal acetate; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison: Ulipristal Acetate, known as EllaOne, is an emergency contraceptive not an abortifacient. The information provided in each pack of EllaOne clearly states that it should not be taken by a woman who knows or suspects she is pregnant.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Detention Centres

Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many times the Gold Suite has been opened at each immigration removal centre in England and Wales in the last year; and what the nature was of each incident that caused it to be opened.

Karen Bradley: The Home Office command suite structure for the management of serious incidents is based on the model operated by the Prison Service. Silver Command Suites are opened in the establishment where the incident occurred.
	A Gold Command Suite is opened in Prison Service headquarters for incidents where the Home Office requests mutual assistance from the Prison Service and is attended by a Home Office senior manager.
	Any other serious incident, which does not require mutual assistance but requires ongoing management, is dealt with by opening a Gold Command Suite at Detention Operations headquarters.
	The number of times Silver Suites have been opened in the past year in immigration removal centres is detailed in the following table for January 2013 to March 2014 and is provided in line with the data periods for published statistics.
	
		
			 Silver Suites opened in IRCs for January 2013 to March 2014 
			 IRC Number of incidents Date Incident 
			 Morton Hall 1 7 April 2013 Concerted indiscipline 
			 Haslar 1 22 July 2013 Barricade 
			 Dungavel 1 10 March 2013 Escape 
			 Campsfield House 2 20 August 2013 Incident at height 
			   18 October 2013 Fire 
			 Dover 2 18 October 2013 Incident at height 
			   9 August 2013 Barricade 
			 Brook House 2 15 May 2013 Tool loss 
			   9 September 2013 External protest 
			 Yarl’s Wood 2 5 March 2014 Bomb threat 
		
	
	
		
			   30 March 2014 Death in detention 
			 Harmondsworth 6 30 April 2012 Concerted indiscipline, passive. 
			   1 January 2013 External protest 
			   18 July 2013 Concerted indiscipline, passive 
			   6 August 2013 Concerted indiscipline, passive 
			   22 November 2013 External protest 
			   29 November 2013 External protest 
			 Colnbrook 0   
			 Tinsley House 0

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Clerk of the House

Simon Burns: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, what funding the Commission allocated for payment of travel, hotel and subsistence expenses of candidates interviewed for the role of Clerk of the House and Chief Executive; what the actual cost was of paying those expenses; and from which budget those expenses will be paid.

John Thurso: No specific budget has been allocated for the payment of travel, hotel or subsistence expenses for candidates interviewed for the role of Clerk of the House and Chief Executive. The cost incurred to 14 July is £2,702.31. The costs are met from the House Service's general recruitment budget.

Data Protection

Thomas Docherty: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, who within the House is accountable for data security.

John Thurso: The Clerk of the House is responsible for data security for the House of Commons Service. As Data Controller, the Clerk is obliged by law to process personal data fairly, lawfully and in accordance with the data protection principles of the Data Protection Act 1998.
	The Clerk of the House delegates actions relating to data security as follows:
	The Senior Information Risk Owner (SIRO), the Director General, Human Resources and Change, is the member of the House of Commons Management Board responsible for managing information risk. He oversees information security policy for the House of Commons.
	The Director of Parliamentary Information and Communications Technology (D/PICT) has overall Management Board-level responsibility in both Houses for implementing the ICT strategy for Parliament and for providing both Boards with technical security advice. She is responsible for the specification, procurement, operation, security and maintenance of the electronic systems on which the great majority of Parliament’s information is communicated, stored and handled and for providing officials and staff with training and support on their use.
	The Parliamentary Security Director advises the SIROs in both Houses and gives strategic and policy direction to D/PICT on cyber security.
	Members are the data controllers for all personal data that is handled by their offices and they have responsibility for ensuring that this is done in accordance with the Data Protection Act.

JUSTICE

Government Departments: Freedom of Information

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will place in the Library (a) the number of Freedom of Information requests received by each Government Department in each of the last four years, (b) the number and proportion of such requests that received a full answer from each Department and (c) the number and proportion of such requests which did not receive a full answer in each category of reason for refusal in each Department.

Simon Hughes: The Government publishes detailed statistics on freedom of information requests received by central Government Departments quarterly and annually. These include the number of requests received by Government Departments, the number of requests which received a full answer and the number which did not receive a full answer. The statistics for the last four years can be found on the following web addresses:
	For 2013 Annual:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/freedom-of-information-statistics-October-December-2013-and-annual
	For 2012 Annual:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/freedom-of-information-statistics-October-December-2012-and-annual
	For 2011 Annual and 2010 Annual:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/earlier-editions-statistics-on-implementation-in-central-government-earlier-editions-in-the-series

Prison Accommodation

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many extra places will be created in public sector prisons; from what date; and for how long.

Shailesh Vara: Prison numbers fluctuate throughout the year and we have sufficient accommodation for the current and expected population.
	Sensible measures have been taken to ensure that we will have sufficient capacity to deal with the projected level of the population. These measures include identifying additional places in prisons that can provide safe and decent conditions, if required. This is a proportionate measure to ensure that we are able to hold all of those committed to custody by the courts.
	Decisions on the number of such spaces required and their duration of use will depend on the current and projected prison population, including an assessment of the necessary margin to manage population fluctuations.
	We will end this Parliament with more adult male prison places than we inherited, more hours of work in prisons than we inherited, more education for young detainees than we inherited and a more modern, cost-effective prison estate than we inherited.

Prison Service

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what budget has been set aside for funding HM Prison Service Reserve.

Shailesh Vara: The running of the Reserve is within headcount and no additional budget has been allocated to it. Reserve officers will be used to fill vacant posts on a temporary basis; these posts, including support costs, are already funded.

Prisoners’ Release

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many and what proportion of prisoners who were given a life sentence (a) applied for and (b) were refused a resettlement licence in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many and what proportion of prisoners who were given an indeterminate sentence for public protection (a) applied for and (b) were refused a resettlement licence in each of the last five years.

Shailesh Vara: Temporary release can be a valuable tool in the resettlement of prisoners in the community but it must never take place at the expense of public safety. We conducted a fundamental review of the policy and practice of release on temporary licence (ROTL) after serious failures last year. We are introducing a system that enhances the assessment of serious offenders and restricts access to ROTL to cases where there is a clear, legitimate reason for the release. We have already introduced some of these changes and have additionally introduced a restriction on prisoners transferring to open conditions and having ROTL if they have previously absconded from open prisons; or if they have failed to return or reoffended while released on temporary licence.
	Data on temporary release applications and the outcomes of such applications is not collected centrally and could not be provided except at disproportionate cost. Data on releases on temporary licence are published at the following links:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/offender-management-statistics-quarterly-october-december-2013-and-annual
	and
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/statistical-notice-releases-on-temporary-licence-2012

Prisoners: Gender Recognition

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many prisoners have self-certified gender recognition certificates; and how many such prisoners were born (a) male and (b) female;
	(2)  how many prisoners who were born as female but now live as men, have been moved to men's prisons; and how many such prisoners have self-certified gender recognition certificates;
	(3)  how many prisoners who were born as men have been issued self-certificated gender recognition certificates; and how many such prisoners have been transferred to women's prisons;
	(4)  how many prisoners who were born male but now live as a women have been moved to a women's prison in each of the last 10 years.

Simon Hughes: It is not possible to report on the number of prisoners with Gender Recognition Certificates or on the number who were born male but now live as female. Section 22 of the Gender Recognition Act 2004 prohibits disclosure of the fact that someone has applied for a Gender Recognition Certificate or disclosure of someone's gender prior to the acquisition of the Gender Recognition Certificate.
	Individuals with a gender recognition certificate are recorded on administrative systems as their legal gender, and are not identifiable as having changed gender. To use any other source of information to identify such individuals would not be appropriate.
	In accordance of the Equality Act 2010 and the Gender Equality Duty, NOMS is committed to paying due regard to the need to address and eliminate the unlawful discrimination and harassment of transgender individuals.

Procurement

Joe Benton: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what discussions took place between officials in his Department, the Home Office and STERIA before the decision to privatise Ministry of Justice shared services was taken.

Simon Hughes: Prior to entering these detailed discussions with Shared Services Connected Limited (a joint venture between STERIA and the Cabinet Office) all options were fully evaluated. A business case was developed to evaluate the two Independent Shared Service Centre (ISSC) options, alongside the option to remain a standalone organisation.
	The business case was informed by proposals from both ISSC framework providers, which included SSCL. In order to complete these proposals, both providers learned about the existing MOJ Shared Services organisation through visits to our sites and through the information that was provided to them about:
	How Shared Services fitted in to the MOJ organisation.
	What services they provided and who their customers were.
	How many transactions were processed in a typical day.
	Who their partners were and what systems they used.
	The projects that were currently under way.
	The evaluation criteria in the business case included people impact, services delivery, cost and IT. Overall the SSCL proposal was the strongest, in part due to the investment that they were already making in a new IT platform and the fact that the costs of this could be shared across multiple Government Departments.
	The Ministry of Justice is now entering into detailed discussions with Shared Services Connected Limited (SSCL) regarding the future delivery of their back office services, with the intention of awarding a contract in August 2014.
	The Home Office have also been considering their options at the same time as the Ministry of Justice but the two Departments have completed their evaluations as separate and independent exercises. The Home Office have reached the same conclusion and assessed SSCL to be its preferred option. The two Departments have started contract negotiations at the same time but each will have a separate contract with SSCL. It is intended that MOJ and Home Office follow the same process going forward and will make changes within the same time scales.
	Both of these evaluations followed the publication of the Government’s Next Generation Shared Services Strategy in December 2012 and a rigorous procurement exercise completed by Cabinet Office to select the providers of the two Independent Shared Service Centres.

Procurement

Joe Benton: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the potential effect of the privatisation of Ministry of Justice shared services on jobs in Bootle constituency.

Simon Hughes: The Ministry of Justice is entering into detailed discussions with Shared Services Connected Ltd (SSCL) regarding the future delivery of their back office services with the intention of awarding a contract in August 2014. We expect this to bring increased savings and efficiency in back-office functions, provide further benefits across wider Government and offer better value for money to the tax payer.
	SSCL have stated their intention of providing 12 months job protection for all transferring staff from the point of transfer in October 2014. This means that there will be no compulsory redundancies during this period. No decisions have been made to close buildings and we expect all sites to remain open during this period.
	Following the transfer of staff, services and IT, there will be a stabilisation stage during which SSCL will look at how the service is currently delivered. No decisions will be made until SSCL has had the opportunity to fully understand the operation.
	We will continue to work with staff, trade unions and other stakeholders to assess any impacts on staff.

Procurement

Joe Benton: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice for what reason his Department did not consult the Public and Commercial Services Union on an in-house bid for the Ministry of Justice shared services contract.

Simon Hughes: The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) is entering into detailed discussions with Shared Services Connected Ltd (SSCL) regarding the future delivery of their back office services with the intention of awarding a contract in August 2014.
	Prior to entering these detailed discussions with SSCL, all options were fully evaluated. A business case was developed to evaluate both Independent Shared Service Centre (ISSC) options as well as the option for back office to remain a standalone organisation.
	Detailed information was put together on the in-house option, which reflected our existing organisation and also any known plans for the coming years, including those for growth in our customer numbers. This information was prepared in parallel with the proposals from the two ISSC framework providers. The costs and benefits of all three options between now and 2021-22 were assessed and this informed the business case, which was approved by the MOJ departmental board.
	The MOJ has been meeting regularly with trade union representatives since we started considering the options in December 2013 prior to any decisions being made and also prior to taking the outcome of the evaluation to the MOJ departmental board. Trade Union representation includes representatives from Public and Commercial Services (PCS).
	Once we knew the decision had been taken to enter into detailed discussions with Shared Services Connected Ltd (SSCL). We informed trade union representatives. Formal consultation is now taking place about the transfer of MOJ staff to SSCL under TUPE. We have been working with these staff and keeping them informed of developments. This will continue throughout the transition process.
	SSCL recognise our existing unions, including PCS, and will continue to consult with them after the staff transfer has taken place.

Procurement

Joe Benton: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he is taking to protect personal data held by Ministry of Justice Shared Services when that data is off-shored to countries with less robust data protection than the UK.

Simon Hughes: The Ministry of Justice is entering into detailed discussions with Shared Services Connected Limited (SSCL) regarding the future delivery of their back office services with the intention of awarding a contract in August 2014. We expect this to bring increased savings and efficiency in back-office functions, provide further benefits across wider Government and offer better value for money to the tax payer.
	It is a part of Shared Services Connected Limited’s business strategy to move some of its work offshore. However, no decision has been taken to move any of the work of MOJ Shared Services offshore. Should there be any proposals to offshore MOJ work in the future, specific agreement would be needed from the MOJ. This would also include the need to make sure that the right level of data security was in place.

Terminal Illnesses

Liz Kendall: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many employment tribunals in which the appellant had a terminal condition and was contesting a dismissal that occurred because of their diagnosis took place in each of the last five years.

Shailesh Vara: Data on the number of claims made by appellants with a terminal condition on the grounds of unfair dismissal is not collated centrally by HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS). This information could be provided only at a disproportionate cost by manually checking hard copy tribunal files or judgments.

Terrorism: Northern Ireland

Kate Hoey: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  what support the Government provides to victims and survivors of Northern Ireland-related acts of terrorism in Great Britain; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  if he will replicate for victims and survivors of Northern Ireland-related acts of terrorism in Great Britain the support services available in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Hughes: I can confirm that in 2013 the Government published a revised Code of Practice for Victims of Crime which sets out the entitlements of victims to support including enhanced support for victims of more serious crime including families bereaved by crime.
	The Government is making available more funding than ever before to support all victims of crime, almost doubling current funding with a potential budget of up to £100 million to help them cope and where possible recover from the impact that crime has had on their lives.
	Since 2010, the Ministry of Justice has provided funding to Victim Support to run the national Homicide Service which provides tailored and intensive support to families bereaved by homicide after 2010 based on need. This includes practical support such as help funeral arrangements, bank accounts, forming employers and schools, preparing bereaved families to attend court and the provision of legal services. From October 2014, Victim Support will run a newly enhanced national Homicide Service for those bereaved after 2010 which in addition to providing of existing services will incorporate specialist trauma and bereavement counselling for both adults and children and for the first time peer support.
	The Ministry of Justice also provides separate funding to a number of peer support and specialist therapy organisations which can support those bereaved by homicide.
	The Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme 2012 is available to compensate blameless victims of violent crime. The Scheme is available for people injured in Great Britain and focuses on paying compensation to direct victims of a crime of violence. Northern Ireland has its own scheme, as do many other countries.
	From 1 October 2014, the majority of support services for victims of crime will be locally commissioned by Police and Crime Commissioners. With their knowledge of local victims’ needs and priorities, PCCs are uniquely placed to ensure that funding is targeted according to need.
	Individual victims and survivors of Northern-Ireland related acts of terrorism who are resident in England and Wales are able to apply for funding from the Victims and Survivors Service (VSS) in Northern Ireland. The VSS is the main funder of victims’ groups in Northern Ireland and provides a tailored package to meet the individual needs of victims and survivors including counselling, physiotherapy and the purchase of equipment such as wheelchairs.

Training

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much has been spent on what (a) media training and (b) social media training for (i) him and (ii) Ministers in his Department since May 2010.

Shailesh Vara: Three Ministers received media training from an external provider in July 2010, at a total cost of £3,000. The training was designed to assist them in clearly communicating the work of the Ministry of Justice to the public. There has been no further spending on such training.
	No Minister has received social media training.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Youth Unemployment

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps the Government is taking to tackle youth unemployment in Northern Ireland.

Andrew Murrison: Tackling youth unemployment remains a critical issue but specific measures to address it in Northern Ireland are the responsibility of the Executive.
	The Government is reducing the largest structural deficit in UK peacetime history and this more than anything will help deliver a sustainable economic recovery and so directly assist young people get into employment.

ICT

Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many mobile telephones, BlackBerrys and laptops were lost by her Department in (a) 2013 and (b) 2014 to date.

Andrew Murrison: In the period requested, one mobile telephone was reported stolen in December 2013. No BlackBerry devices or laptops have been reported lost from 2013 to date.

PRIME MINISTER

Unemployment: Young People

Stephen Timms: To ask the Prime Minister what progress has been made in the review of assistance to young unemployed people, led by Sir Jeremy Heywood; and if he will make a statement.

David Cameron: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, my right hon. Friend the Member for Horsham (Mr Maude), to the hon. Member for Bethnal Green and Bow (Rushanara Ali) on 14 July 2014, Official Report, column 548W.

SCOTLAND

ICT

Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many mobile telephones, BlackBerrys and laptops were lost by his Department in (a) 2013 and (b) 2014 to date.

David Mundell: In 2013 and 2014 to date, no mobile telephones or laptops were reported lost by the Scotland Office. Two BlackBerrys were reported lost in 2013, and one in 2014 to date.

Ministers: Official Cars

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many journeys Ministers of his Department have made using the Government Car Service; and how many such journeys were for the transportation of a red box.

David Mundell: The information cannot be provided without incurring disproportionate cost.

TRANSPORT

A64

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what central funds are available for the maintenance of the A64; and if he will make a statement.

Robert Goodwill: In the current 2014-15 financial year, the Highways Agency has an allocation of £11.25 million for maintenance of the A64.
	In addition, the Agency’s Managing Agent Contractors are paid a “lump sum” for a wide range of general maintenance duties, which includes works on the A64. The proportion of the costs that is spent on the A64 cannot be specified as the Agency does not disaggregate this “lump sum” budget.

Carnforth Station

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the effect on services to Carnforth Station when High Speed 2 is completed.

Robert Goodwill: No assessment has been made of the effect of HS2 on services to Carnforth Station. However, a significant amount of capacity will be released on existing lines as a result of HS2, which creates a huge opportunity for the reconfiguration and improvement of services. Network Rail has begun thinking about how to make use of the opportunities that High Speed Rail brings to the rail network as a whole, and you can read more about this in their Better Connections report. Network Rail estimate that over 100 towns and cities could benefit from quicker, more frequent journeys and better connections when HS2 phase two is complete.
	An illustrative timetable has been developed in order to allow us to assess the likely costs and benefits of HS2, and this factors in some changes to train services as a result of released capacity on existing lines. However, this illustrative timetable was created for modelling purposes and more work needs to take place through open consultation to determine what actual services would look like.

Ferries

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many vessels with valid licences to operate from the UK in the short sea passenger ferry sector are registered under (a) the UK flag or (b) Red Ensign Group registries; and what proportion of those vessels are qualifying vessels under the Tonnage Tax scheme.

Robert Goodwill: There is no general requirement for ships to be licensed to operate on any routes either within the UK or plying internationally to and from UK ports. There are no requirements for ships which ply solely within UK waters to be registered. Ships that ply internationally need to be registered although choice of register is for the owner’s consideration.
	The Department does not hold information in relation to the areas of operation of vessels which are entered into the tonnage tax regime. The identity of tonnage tax companies and groups is tax confidential, and so we would not in any case be able to release information which might make it possible to identify individual companies and groups.

ICT

Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many mobile telephones, BlackBerrys and laptops were lost by his Department in (a) 2013 and (b) 2014 to date.

Robert Goodwill: The number of mobile telephones, BlackBerrys and laptops that were reported as lost in 2013 and 2014 to date is set out in the tables. The figures provided are for the entire Department including its executive agencies.
	
		
			 2013 
			 Item Lost 
			 Mobile telephones 22 
			 BlackBerrys 33 
			 Laptops 6 
			 Total 61 
		
	
	
		
			 2014 
			 Item Lost 
			 Mobile telephones 12 
			 BlackBerrys 13 
			 Laptops 1 
			 Total 26

Ministers: Official Cars

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many journeys Ministers of his Department have made using the Government Car Service; and how many such journeys were for the transportation of a red box.

Robert Goodwill: The information requested can only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Morecambe

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will estimate how much money his Department has spent in Morecambe and Lunesdale constituency since May 2010.

Robert Goodwill: The most recent data available for total public expenditure on transport are given in HM Treasury’s Country and Regional Analysis: 2013. Identifiable expenditure on transport for the North West was £1,876 million in 2012-13, £1,939 million in 2011-12, £2,099 million in 2010-11 and £2,337 million in 2009-10. Equivalent data are not available below regional level.
	The Country and Regional analysis covers Department for Transport-managed spending combined with other transport-related expenditure elsewhere (e.g. transport expenditure by local government bodies, which are covered by CLG).

Roads: North West

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which governmental body will make funds available for a feasibility study on developing a highway road tunnel under Morcambe Bay from Heysham M6 Link Road to Barrow-in-Furness.

Robert Goodwill: This is a local issue and it would be for Lancashire and Cumbria county councils as the local highways authorities to consider whether to take forward such a study in consultation with the local enterprise partnerships for their areas.

Shipping: Freight

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many vessels with valid licences to operate from the UK in the short sea freight sector are registered under (a) the UK flag or (b) Red Ensign Group registries; and what proportion of those are qualifying vessels under the Tonnage Tax scheme.

Robert Goodwill: There is no general requirement for ships to be licensed to operate on any routes either within the UK or plying internationally to and from UK ports.
	The Department does not hold information in relation to the areas of operation of vessels which are entered into the tonnage tax regime. The identity of tonnage tax companies and groups is tax confidential, and so we would not in any case be able to release information which might make it possible to identify individual companies and groups.

Tonnage Tax

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many new training roles for UK seafarers were created under the approved core training commitments submitted by company groups that qualified for the Tonnage Tax scheme between October 2012 and September 2013; how many such roles he expects to be created between October 2013 and September 2014; and what the cumulative training commitment is of companies qualifying for that scheme in 2013-14.

Robert Goodwill: Approved core training commitments for the 2012-13 training commitment year were for around 600 new first year officer trainees; the comparable figure for the 2013-14 training commitment year is around 550. Additionally, company groups are required to provide second and third year training for trainees taken on during the previous two years when they were in the tonnage tax. For 2013-14, this cumulative training commitment, including first, second and third year trainees, is for over 1,700 officer trainees.

TREASURY

Freedom of Information

John Woodcock: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department spent on legal fees in cases relating to the release of information requested under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 in each of the last five years.

Andrea Leadsom: In common with other Departments, the Treasury pays fees to the Treasury Solicitor’s Department for legal advice on a range of issues. The proportion of those fees which relate to the Freedom of Information Act 2000 is not recorded.

Housing: Scotland

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment has been made of the effect on the Scottish economy of house prices in Scotland.

Danny Alexander: Scotland's economy has performed well within the UK and the Scottish housing market is recovering alongside the rest of the UK's housing market. As in previous recoveries house prices have risen but still remain below their pre-crisis peak in real terms in Scotland. As a result of increased confidence in the housing market, property transactions in Scotland were 21% higher in 2013 than the lows seen in 2011. With the creation of the Financial Policy Committee, we now have the tools to guard against risks in the housing market.

Housing: Scotland

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the reasons for the differences in the level of change in house prices in Scotland compared to the rest of the UK in the second quarter of 2014.

Danny Alexander: The Scottish housing market is recovering alongside the rest of the Scottish economy. Changes in regional house prices will partly depend on regional factors supporting supply and demand. House prices in Scotland rose 4.8% in the 12 months to April. In the same period, house prices across the UK rose by 9.9%, and excluding London house prices in the UK rose 7%. In real terms house prices remain well below their peak, and the Office for Budget Responsibility noted in March that they will still remain below this peak at the end of their forecast in 2018/19. With the creation of the Financial Policy Committee, we can ensure emerging risks and vulnerabilities across the financial system as a whole are identified, monitored and effectively addressed.

Infrastructure

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much the Government has spent per capita on infrastructure in each region and constituent part of the UK in each of the last five years.

Danny Alexander: The information is as follows:
	
		
			 Table 1: Total identifiable expenditure on capital services by country and region, per head 2008-09 to 2012-13 
			 £ per head 
			  National Statistics 
			  2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 North East 785 892 758 604 607 
			 North West 843 860 799- 638 702 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 675 752 669 584 567 
			 East Midlands 582 684 570 464 446 
			 West Midlands 663 731 614 510 507 
			 East 607 728 660 529 493 
			 London 1,215 1,403 1,203 959 860 
			 South East 657 689 594 435 437 
			 South West 609 672 578 458 481 
			 England 758 843 736 589 578 
			 Scotland 1,042 1,091 979 980 1,035 
			 Wales 754 801 775 709 727 
			 Northern Ireland 1,030 988 892 793 775 
			 UK identifiable expenditure 790 866 763 633 629 
			 Sources: Expenditure data is taken from the Country and Regional Analyses 2013. In order to calculate per head figures the latest mid-year population estimates; for England and Wales from the ONS; for Scotland from the GRO and; for Northern Ireland from the NISRA.

Mapeley

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when Mapeley STEPS Contractor Limited notified HM Revenue and Customs of the opportunity to generate income by the use of the Priority Court (Dover) site for purposes other than the provision of facilities at the same time as the site remains subject to a STEPS lease under paragraph 19.2 of the private finance initiative contract between HM Revenue and Customs and Mapeley STEPS Contractor Limited.

David Gauke: Mapeley STEPS Contractor Ltd has not notified HM Revenue and Customs of any opportunity to generate additional income at the Priory Court site under the clause 19.2 provisions of the STEPS contract.

Meningitis: Vaccination

Tony Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when his Department received the business case for the meningococcal B vaccine; and when he expects to make a decision whether or not to approve the business case.

Danny Alexander: On 21 March 2014, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) recommended that there should be a national Meningococcal B immunisation programme for infants, if the vaccine, Bexsero ®, could be purchased at a cost-effective price. The Treasury is working closely with the Department of Health on this business case. The Government would like to secure the vaccine from the supplier at the cost-effective price recommended by the JCVI.

Money Advice Service

Philip Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress the Money Advice Service has made on launching a price comparison website for short term loans.

Andrea Leadsom: The Money Advice Service (MAS) is an independent non-governmental public body set up with a statutory objective to raise public understanding and knowledge of financial matters and the ability of people to manage their own financial affairs.
	The Government is not aware that MAS has any imminent plans to launch a price comparison website for short-term loans.

Morecambe

David Morris: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate how much money his Department has spent in Morecambe and Lunesdale constituency since May 2010.

Andrea Leadsom: Data on expenditure by HM Treasury in Morecambe and Lunesdale constituency is not centrally available. The Department for Communities and Local Government collects information on local authority expenditure however this is not collected by constituency and is just a part of total public expenditure.

Training

John Woodcock: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what professional development courses are made available to staff of his Department; and what the cost to the public purse is of each such course.

Andrea Leadsom: HM Treasury sponsors professional development courses for staff to gain a professional qualification and for continuing professional development. There is not a fixed set of courses and options can include both those available through civil service professions curricula and academic or accredited professional institutions and associations. A rigorous approvals process is in place to ensure that attendance on professional development courses meets the needs of the job, the Department and the profession. Costs will vary because requirements and suppliers vary. The information on actual costs could be obtained only at disproportionate cost as many courses fall within the scope of this question, and the information is not all held in one place.

UK Trade With EU: Germany

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate his Department has made of the number of jobs in Germany associated with trade with the UK.

Andrea Leadsom: The Treasury has made no such assessment.
	The Treasury continues to monitor developments in Germany and other major economies on an ongoing basis as part of the normal process of policy development.

WALES

Ministers: Official Cars

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many journeys Ministers of his Department have made using the Government Car Service; and how many such journeys were for the transportation of a red box.

Stephen Crabb: The information cannot be provided without incurring disproportionate cost.

Training

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much has been spent on what (a) media training and (b) social media training for (i) him and (ii) Ministers in his Department since May 2010.

Stephen Crabb: None.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Ministers: Official Cars

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many journeys Ministers of his Department have made using the Government Car Service; and how many such journeys were for the transportation of a red box.

Esther McVey: The information cannot be provided without incurring disproportionate cost.

Pensioners: Means-tested Benefits

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the number of pensioners that would be lifted out of poverty if take-up of means-tested benefits was 100 per cent.

Steve Webb: An up-to-date estimate of the number of pensioners that would be lifted out of poverty if take-up of means-tested benefits was 100 per cent is not available. The latest estimate available, published in 2011 (PQ 33325, 13 January 2011, Official Report, column 429W), showed that an estimated 600,000 pensioners would be lifted out of poverty if take-up of means-tested benefits was 100%. It should be noted, however, that given that there have been changes to the policy context, the level of pensioner poverty, and in the wider economy over the period, this figure is likely to have changed since then.

Schools: Asbestos

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 7 July 2014, Official Report, column 112W, on Schools: Asbestos, what system is in place to inspect schools under (a) local authority control and (b) outside local authority control, to assess their standard of asbestos management.

Mark Harper: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has no specific system in place to inspect schools to assess their standard of asbestos management.
	HSE's work planning systems focuses its inspection priorities on the major hazard industries and comparatively high risks sectors (such as construction, waste and recycling, and some types of manufacturing), but can also involve targeted initiatives elsewhere. In recent years this approach has resulted in discrete inspection programmes to assess asbestos management by:
	local authorities with responsibility for system built schools; and
	schools outside local authority control on a sample basis.

Universal Credit

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many households with children are claiming universal credit.

Esther McVey: The information requested is not currently available.
	The latest official experimental statistics on UC can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/universal-credit-statistics

EDUCATION

16-19 Bursary Fund

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  how many young people who (a) had recently left local authority care, (b) were in receipt of income support or universal credit in their name, (c) were disabled and in receipt of both employment and support allowance and either disability living allowance or personal independence payment in their name qualified for the 16 to 19 bursary scheme in each year since its introduction;.
	(2)  how many young people aged between 16 and 19 have received the maximum bursary available under the 16 to 19 bursary scheme in each year since 2011.

Edward Timpson: The 16-19 Bursary fund is separated into discretionary and vulnerable bursaries. Schools and colleges received allocations of discretionary bursary funding and make awards to individual students whom they have assessed against their own criteria. As a result it is not possible to provide numbers that have received the bursary in 2011/12 and 2012/13. It is now retained centrally (this 2013/14 academic year) and institutions claim funds for any students who are eligible.
	A full year's data for 2013/14 will be available from January 2015.

Academies

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  how many oral complaints have been made to her Department about academy brokers (a) in the last 12 months and (b) since 2010;
	(2)  how many formal written complaints have been made to her Department about academy brokers (a) in the last 12 months and (b) since 2010.

Edward Timpson: If the Department for Education receives a verbal complaint against a broker, the complainant is requested to put the concern in writing to the project lead, who then follows the appropriate complaints procedure. As such, only written complaints are logged.
	The Department has received two written complaints about academy brokers in the last 12 months and 11 in total since centralised recording began in June 2011.

Academies

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many academies are part of (a) a multi-academy trust, (b) a collaborative partnership and (c) an umbrella trust.

Edward Timpson: As of 1 July 2014 there are 2,167 academies in multi-academy trusts and there are 36 academies in umbrella trusts.
	Academies are not required to provide the Department for Education with information about collaborative partnerships. However, research published by the Department for Education in July showed that 87% of academies are supporting other schools. The research can be found here:
	www.gov.uk/government/publications/do-academies-make-use-of-their-autonomy

Carers

Anne Begg: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if she will take steps to ensure that children kinship carers are caring for are considered as children in need and prioritised accordingly.

Edward Timpson: The Government has taken a number of actions to improve the quality of support provided to children being brought up in kinship care arrangements. Section 17 of the Children Act 1989 gives local authorities powers to provide services to support the upbringing of children in need by their families. Local authorities should act on their powers under section 17 to assess the needs of children living with kinship carers, which should lead to appropriate support to families regardless of whether or not children in their care are looked after.
	In March 2011, the Government issued Family and Friends Care Statutory Guidance for local authorities where it is made clear, every authority, in England should have a policy describing how it will promote and support the needs of children living with kinship carers. This policy should be widely available and publicised, using media such as websites and leaflets.
	In October and November last year the Department for Education held two national learning days for senior managers and for local authority staff directly involved in supporting family and friends carers. These events raised awareness of legal requirements and encouraged the spread of good professional practice in this important area of work.
	In February 2014 the Department set up a working group with local authorities to look at practice issues and best practice with the intention of using these findings in peer to peer support and learning in order to increase the quality of practice across the country.
	In May 2014 the Department for Education issued an information leaflet for family and friend carers which explained their legal entitlements for support from local authorities, including under section 17 of the Children Act 1989.
	I wrote to all local authorities in July 2013 to remind them of their statutory duty to hold a family and friends policy and now 140 have published policies.

Children: Abuse

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether any files on child abuse have been passed to her Department by (a) other parts of the Government or (b) hon. Members; and in what year such files were so passed.

Edward Timpson: In 2013 the Department for Education received information from the Department of Health which referred to 21 children’s homes and schools in England. This information had been uncovered as part of a document review process undertaken by the Metropolitan Police Service in the context of Operation Yewtree. The Secretary of State for Education gave details of this information in a written ministerial statement on 27 March 2014:
	www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201314/cmhansrd/cm140327/wmstext/140327m0001.htm#14032769000005
	More generally, hon. and right hon. Members and concerned members of the public regularly write to the Department with concerns about child abuse or neglect, sometimes enclosing supporting documents. Such letters are dealt with as appropriate on a case by case basis.

Education: Brighton

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much (a) revenue and (b) capital funding has been provided to each pupil in state (i) primary and (ii) secondary schools in Brighton and Hove (A) in cash terms and (B) at 2014 prices in each year since 2010.

David Laws: Average per pupil funding figures for Brighton and Hove local authority (LA) are in the following table. With the introduction of the dedicated schools grant (DSG) in 2006-07, the changes to the funding mechanism meant figures were no longer available to be shown split by phase of education.
	Figures for financial years 2010 to 2013 are in the following table. These are in cash terms:
	
		
			 Brighton and Hove LA Average revenue per pupil funding (cash) 
			 2010-11 5,100 
			 2011-12 5,020 
			 2012-13 5,020 
		
	
	These are in real terms using June 2014 GDP deflators in 2013-14 prices:
	
		
			 Brighton and Hove LA Average revenue per pupil funding (real) 
			 2010-11 5,360 
			 2011-12 5,160 
			 2012-13 5,100 
		
	
	Per pupil figures are using DSG allocations plus other schools related grants, e.g. school standards grant, school standards grant (personalisation), standards fund etc. and pupils aged three-15 rounded to the nearest £10. Most of the additional grants were mainstreamed into DSG in 2011-12. These figures do not include the pupil premium.
	With the changes to DSG funding in financial year 2013-14, i.e. funding allocated through three blocks, namely schools, early years and high needs, there is no longer a comparable overall figure with previous years. The following table shows the DSG schools block unit funding figures in cash and real terms for Brighton and Hove LA.
	
		
			 DSG schools block per pupil funding 
			  2013-14 2014-15 
			 Brighton and Hove LA (cash) 4,458 4,458 
			 Brighton and Hove LA (real)1 4,458 4,362 
			 1Real terms figures shown in 2013-14 prices using GDP deflators at 27 June 2014. 
		
	
	Since 2011-12 schools have received the pupil premium, which targets funding at pupils from the most deprived backgrounds to help them achieve their full potential. In 2011-12, the pupil premium was allocated for each pupil known to be eligible for free school meals, looked after children and children of parents in the armed services. In 2012-13 coverage was expanded to include pupils known to have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years. The amounts per pupil amounts for each type of pupil are shown in following table in cash terms:
	
		
			  Pupil premium per pupil (£) 
			  2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 
			 Free school meal pupil primary 488 623 953 1,300 
			 Free school meal pupil secondary 488 623 900 935 
			 Service children 200 250 300 300 
			 Looked after children 488 623 900 11,900 
			 1 Also includes children adopted from care. 
		
	
	Total pupil premium allocations for Brighton and Hove local authority for each year are shown in the following table in cash terms:
	
		
			 Brighton and Hove pupil premium allocations 
			  (£ million) 
			 2011-12 2.588 
			 2012-13 4.880 
			 2013-14 7.423 
			 2014-15 9.618 
		
	
	These figures in real terms:
	
		
			 Brighton and Hove pupil premium allocations (£ millions) 
			 2011-2012 2.661 
			 2012-2013 4.964 
			 2013-2014 7.423 
			 2014-2015 9.411 
			 Price Base: Real terms at 2013-14 prices, based on GDP deflators as at 27 June 2014 
		
	
	Capital funding:
	The following table shows capital funding for the financial years that are available. The data is in cash terms as allocations are phased across more than one year making real terms calculations meaningless. Complete information on the split of capital between phases of education is not held centrally.
	
		
			 Brighton and Hove 
			 £ million 
			  Capital allocations1 Of which: Building Schools for the Future2 
			 2010-11 45.3 0.0 
			 2011-12 16.1 0.3 
			 2012-13 23.1 8.8 
			 2013-14 16.7 3.5 
			 1 Capital allocations includes capital grant and supported borrowing allocations. 2 BSF includes one school pathfinders. Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest £100,000.

Education: Standards

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps her Department is taking to reduce regional variations in standards of education.

David Laws: We are improving the accountability framework to improve standards across the country. In addition, Ofsted has implemented a more rigorous inspection framework, with performance data being used to target inspections on the weakest schools and a recognition that any school less than ‘good’ is not performing well enough.
	From 2016 we will introduce new measures that focus on the progress made by every child aged between 4 and 19. By focusing on progress, we will be able to identify high- and low-performing schools more accurately. Primary schools will report pupils’ progress between the age of 4 and 11 and the proportion reaching the demanding new standard at age 11. Secondary schools will be judged on pupils’ attainment and progress between the age of 11 and 16 across 8 subjects, as well as the proportion of pupils achieving the English Baccalaureate, English and maths qualifications.
	Some schools are still not performing well enough. We issued revised statutory guidance1 to local authorities in May that makes very clear our expectations that they should take swift and robust action when maintained schools are performing poorly. This includes our expectation that their assessment should include the achievement of disadvantaged pupils and that poorly performing schools should become sponsored academies.
	Finally, to address the unfair distribution of funding between local authorities, we propose to allocate an additional £350 million to the least fairly funded local authorities in 2015-16. This is the biggest step towards fairer schools funding in over a decade, and we will be able to confirm how much each local authority will receive once we publish our final allocations later this summer.
	1 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/schools-causing-concern--2

Employment Schemes: Young People

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  how many payments she estimates will be taken up under the youth contract for 16 and 17 year olds;
	(2)  how her Department will spend any underspend from the youth contract in financial year 2013-14;
	(3)  how much of the overall budget the youth contract for 16 and 17 year olds had been spent at the end of 2013-14.

Edward Timpson: Delivery of the Youth Contract programme for 16- and 17-year-olds began in September 2012. For the period from September 2012 to the end of March 2014, the Department for Education has spent a total of £18.4 million in delivering the programme. Any underspend identified in the period 1 April 2012 to 31 March 2014 for the Education Funding Agency-managed strand of the programme was transferred to the Exchequer as part of the budget exchange scheme.
	A budget of £2.9 million is assigned to the Core Cities strand of the programme for each financial year. This funding is devolved to the respective local authorities.
	For the EFA-managed strand of the programme, payments are made on a ‘payment by results’ basis. A contractor can receive three outcome-related payments: an initial payment, a re-engagement payment and a sustained engagement payment. Delivery data for the EFA-managed strand of the programme for the period September 2012 to the end of March 2014 was published on 26 June 2014 and is published online at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/youth-contract-delivery-data.
	This shows contractors delivering the EFA-managed strand of the Youth Contract achieved 18,570 enrolments, 9,949 re-engagements and 3,445 sustained engagements. The contracted profile for the period 1 April 2014 to 31 March 2016 shows: 21,500 participant enrolments; 23,000 participant re-engagements into positive outcomes of education, training or employment with training; and 23,500 participants to sustain in a positive outcome of education, training or employment with training for five out of six months.

Free School Meals: Brighton

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children in (a) Brighton and Hove and (b) Brighton, Kemptown constituency have received free school meals in each year since 2010.

David Laws: Information on the number of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals is published in the ‘Schools, pupils and their characteristics: January 2014’ Statistical First Release1.
	Tables 8a-d show local authority level information. Parliamentary constituency level information is not published. Information for 2010 to 2013 can be found in previous versions of this release2.
	1 Available at:
	wwww.gov.uk/government/publications/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2014
	2Available at:
	www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-school-and-pupil-numbers

Free School Meals: Westmorland

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many infant school children in Westmorland and Lonsdale constituency were eligible for free school meals during the 2010-11 school year.

David Laws: Information on the number of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals in maintained nursery and primary schools is published in the ‘Schools, pupils and their characteristics: January 2011’ Statistical First Release1.
	Table 11a shows local authority level information. Parliamentary constituency level information is not published.
	1 Available at:
	www.gov.uk/government/publications/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2011

Free School Meals: Westmorland

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many more infant school children in Westmorland and Lonsdale constituency will be eligible for free school meals as a result of the extension of free school meals to all infant school children.

David Laws: From September 2014 all infant pupils in state-funded schools in England will be eligible for a free, healthy school meal. Across England, we estimate that this means that 1.5 million additional pupils in reception, year 1 and year 2 will become eligible for a free school meal. We do not hold estimates of the numbers that will become newly eligible at constituency level.

Free Schools

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which free schools are planned to open in September 2014; and how many students each such school plans to admit in September 2014.

Edward Timpson: To date, the Secretary of State for Education has agreed to enter into funding agreements for 62 schools due to open in September 2014. In addition, the Department for Education is working with proposer groups to open around 20 further schools where the funding agreement has not yet been agreed. In total, these schools will provide about 10,000 new school places this academic year and around 44,000 places when they have reached their intended capacity.

Free Schools

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many free schools that are planned to open in September 2014 are (a) temporarily and (b) permanently located in office buildings.

Edward Timpson: Of the free schools planning to open in September, four will be temporarily located in former office buildings and 15 permanently.

Local Government Services: Children

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 1July 2014, Official Report, columns 550-1W, on local government services: children, 
	(1)  in which meetings of the Social Care Innovation Programme at which Ministers were present; how many such meetings involved people other than staff of her Department; and if she will list those people;
	(2)  how many meetings on the Social Care Innovation Programme at which Ministers were present have taken place since May 2010.

Edward Timpson: As the Minister with responsibility for the Children’s Social Care Innovation Programme, I have attended the majority of meetings on the Innovation Programme at which Ministers have been present. These meetings have covered a wide range of issues in relation to the programme.
	The first meeting about the Innovation Programme was held with my right hon. Friend, the Minister of State for Schools, in May 2013. The majority of meetings on the Innovation Programme since then have been the regular internal meetings I have with the programme team-to date, we have had over 10 such meetings.
	Meetings about the Innovation Programme at which Ministers have been present which involved people other than staff of this Department include, for example, a workshop I held with senior officials from across Whitehall to make the best of their experience and encourage coherence in terms of government programmes; several meetings with Councillor David Simmonds, Chair of the Local Government Association’s Children and Young People Board; a meeting between my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education and a meeting with young people and staff from Daybreak Family Group Conferences.
	There have been a number of meetings on other topics at which I, and other Ministers in this Department, have taken the opportunity to discuss the Innovation Programme.

Morecambe

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if she will estimate how much money her Department has spent in Morecambe and Lunesdale constituency since May 2010.

David Laws: The Department for Education does not allocate or record spending at a parliamentary constituency level. The majority of funding provided by the Department for Morecambe and Lunesdale constituency is allocated indirectly via Lancashire local authority.1
	Therefore, we have shown total allocations to Lancashire local authority, and to free schools, non-recoupment academies and music education hubs within Lancashire, with revenue and capital spending in separate tables. We do allocate funding directly to providers of 16-19 education, so we have separately shown total allocations for 16-19 education within the constituency of Morecambe and Lunesdale.
	Table A shows the total revenue allocations made by the Department to Lancashire local authority, and to free schools, non-recoupment academies and music education hubs within Lancashire, in each of the financial years 2010-11 to 2013-14. This funding includes: the Dedicated Schools Grant (including two-, three- and four-year-old education); non-recoupment academies and free schools funding; Pupil Premium; music and sport grants; SEND and adoption reform grants; the Early Intervention Grant before 2013-14; and, from 2013-14, the Education Services Grant. The figures provided are in cash terms.
	
		
			 Table A: Revenue funding 
			 £ million 
			 Financial year 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 Total funding since the start of 2010-11 financial year 
			 Total revenue funding-Lancashire 860 865 883 898 3,506 
		
	
	The figures in Table A are not comparable year-on-year for the reasons given as follows:
	1. Since May 2010, there have been transfers of funding between DFE and other Government Departments. These were mainly small amounts but the most significant were the Education Services Grant (national total of £1.03 billion), which transferred from DCLG to DFE in 2013-14, and the Early Intervention Grant (national total of £2.3 billion), which transferred from DFE to DCLG in 2013-14, with only a topslice remaining in DFE budgets.
	2. DFE has also provided some funding to other Government departments to contribute to programmes that were jointly funded and managed, such as the Child Poverty Programme, administered by DWP.
	Table B shows the total capital allocations to Lancashire schools from 2010-11 to 2013-14. Complete information on the Department’s capital spending by constituency is not held centrally. The figures provided are in cash terms.
	
		
			 Table B: Capital funding 
			 £ million 
			 Financial year 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 Total funding since the start of 2010-11 financial year 
			 Total capital funding-Lancashire 89 71 68 50 278 
		
	
	The Department provides funding directly to providers of 16-19 education on an academic year basis. Table C shows the total allocations made to post-16 institutions within the constituency of Morecambe and Lunesdale during the academic years 2010/11 to 2013/14 by the DFE and its agencies. 2013/14 was the first year of funding under a new 16-19 funding formula, so figures are not directly comparable to those of previous years. The figures provided are in cash terms.
	
		
			 Table C: 16-19 education 
			 £ million 
			 Academic year 2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 Total funding since the start of 2010-11 academic year 
			 Total 16-19 funding-Morecambe and Lunesdale 11 12 10 11 44 
		
	
	1 We provide funding for free schools, non-recoupment academies and 16-19 institutions directly and provide funding for music education hubs via Arts Council England.

Pay

Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many officials in her Department, of each grade, have remained at that grade since 2010 but received a pay rise; and how much of a rise each such person at each such grade has received.

Edward Timpson: The following table sets out the number of staff at each grade who have remained at that grade since 2010 and have received a pay rise.
	
		
			 Grade Number 
			 EA AO 55 
			 EO 197 
			 HEO 211 
			 SEO 214 
			 GRADE 7 227 
			 GRADE 6 83 
			 SCS 36 
			 Total 1,023 
		
	
	The Government announced a pay freeze in 2010 which meant that pay for all Department for Education staff was frozen for two years (2011 and 2012 pay awards) except for those earning less than the full-time equivalent of £21,000. In 2013 and 2014, all staff achieving their objectives have received pay rises averaging 1%. Staff not achieving their objectives and those being managed under formal poor performance measures received no pay rise.

Procurement

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much and what proportion of her Department's budget was spent on activities which were contracted out in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11, (c) 2011-12, (d) 2012-13 and (e) 2013-14; and how much and what proportion of her Department's budget she expects to be contracted out in 2014-15.

Edward Timpson: The Department for Education does not hold this information centrally.

School Leaving

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps she is taking to ensure that young people leave school with a good level of English and mathematics; and if she will make a statement.

David Laws: We are reforming the mathematics and English curriculum and qualifications, raising expectations so that they match the best worldwide. The new national curriculum will match those in the highest-performing education jurisdictions in the world, challenging pupils to realise their potential in an increasingly competitive global market.
	At primary level, we have published a more rigorous curriculum with a greater level of demand. In mathematics, children will know their times tables by age nine and calculators will be removed from the test for 11 year olds to ensure that children get a rigorous grounding in mental and written arithmetic. To support schools, we will continue to fund the National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics. We also recently announced the establishment of 32 new Maths Hubs, supported with £11 million of funding over the next two years, which will drive up the quality of mathematics education from the early years to age 19.
	In the new English national curriculum we have placed a greater focus on grammar, spelling and punctuation, with a new test for 11 year olds. We have strengthened the requirements on learning to read through systematic synthetic phonics, and we have introduced a phonics screening check at age six so that teachers can intervene early to help children catch up.
	At secondary level, GCSEs in mathematics and English are also being reformed to be more challenging and give stronger guarantees of numeracy and literacy. We expect schools will increase time spent teaching mathematics—bringing us in line with our international competitors. The recently announced “Progress 8” measure gives double weighting to mathematics and English in performance tables for the first time. For year 7 pupils who have not achieved level 4 at key stage 2 in reading and/or mathematics we will continue to fund the catch-up premium worth £500 per pupil. This enables secondary schools to deliver additional support, such as individual tuition or intensive support in small groups, for those pupils that most need it.
	We are also reforming post-16 education, including A levels in English and mathematics, and have set out our ambition for the majority of young people in England to study mathematics at least to age 18 by 2020. Students without at least a grade C at GCSE in mathematics or English are now required to continue to study the subject. In addition, new core mathematics qualifications are being developed for those students with GCSE grade C or above who do not go on to study A or AS level mathematics.
	In addition, we have invested in and reformed initial teacher training to focus on attracting the very best graduates with the right qualities for teaching into the profession through scholarships and bursaries of up to £25,000 in key subjects such as mathematics, and supporting the expansion of the highly-successful Teach First programme.

Schools: Standards

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of primary and secondary schools have had their Ofsted rating lowered since the last assessment in (a) Ashfield constituency, (b) Nottinghamshire and (c) the UK.

David Laws: This question is a matter for Ofsted. I have asked Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw, to write to the hon. Member. A copy of his reply will be placed in the House Library.

Teachers: North West

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what changes to the numbers of teachers and teaching assistants there have been in (a) Westmorland and Lonsdale, (b) South Lakeland, (c) Cumbria and (d) the North West (i) since 2010 and (ii) between 2005 and 2010.

David Laws: The information requested for full-time equivalent teachers and teaching assistants in Cumbria and the North West in 2005 to 2010 is published in tables 19 and 26 of the Statistical First Release ‘School Workforce In England (including Local Authority level figures) January 2010 (Revised)’. This is published online:
	www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/218925/local_20authority_20tables_20sfr112010.xls
	The information requested for full-time equivalent teachers, teaching assistants and support staff in 2010 is published in the underlying data file of the Statistical First Release ‘School Workforce In England, November 2010 (Provisional)’. This is published online:
	www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-workforce-in-england-november-2010-provisional
	The information requested for full-time equivalent teachers, teaching assistants and support staff in 2011 is published in the underlying data file of the Statistical First Release ‘School Workforce In England, November 2011’. This is published online:
	www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-workforce-in-england-november-2011
	The information requested for full-time equivalent teachers, teaching assistants and support staff in 2012 is published in the underlying data file of the Statistical First Release ‘School Workforce In England, November 2012’ This is published online:
	www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-workforce-in-england-november-2012
	The information for November 2013 will be published in late July in the underlying data file of the Statistical First Release ‘School Workforce In England, November 2013’. This will be published online:
	www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-workforce-in-england-november-2013
	District and parliamentary constituency level school workforce numbers are not routinely published. The information requested for Westmorland and Lonsdale and South Lakeland between January 2005 and 2010 and since 2010 could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Teachers: Training

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps she is taking to ensure that skilled mathematics and science graduates are attracted to careers in teaching; and if she will make a statement.

David Laws: The Government is committed to supporting schools in recruiting specialist teachers in mathematics and science. Specific support is provided for individuals interested in teaching these subjects through targeted marketing, personal advisors and securing school experience.
	To attract graduates to teaching these subjects, we have significantly increased tax-free bursaries for mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing trainee teachers from £9,000 in 2012/13 to up to £20,000 in 2014/15. In addition, we continue to work jointly with the Institute for Mathematics and its Applications, the Royal Society of Chemistry, the Institute of Physics and BCS, the chartered institute for IT, to offer scholarship awards of £25,000 in order to attract the most talented graduates into initial teacher training.
	For the academic year 2014/15, we have extended our salaried School Direct training programme to encourage more experienced graduates to enter teacher training across a range of subjects, including mathematics and science. School Direct (salaried) is an employment-based route for high-quality, experienced graduates who earn a salary whilst training.
	We are also continuing to fund subject knowledge enhancement courses, which are an important tool to ensure trainee teachers without a first class degree in the subject they will teach have sufficient specialist subject knowledge.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Boilers

Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will take steps to encourage the upgrading of (a) oil and (b) liquefied petroleum gas boilers in off-gas grid areas.

Edward Davey: holding answer 14 July 2014
	The Energy Company Obligation (ECO) will continue to fund upgrades of oil and LPG condensing boilers along with other energy efficiency measures for low income and vulnerable households.
	DECC has also introduced the domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) to support renewable heating systems, offering off-gas households a way of choosing affordable heating alternatives. The domestic RHI compensates for the additional costs faced when replacing an oil boiler with a renewable heating system.

Training

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many awaydays his Department has held for officials in (a) 2013 and (b) 2014 to date; and what the cost was of each such event.

Amber Rudd: DECC does not hold central records of away-days and obtaining this information would incur disproportionate cost.

INDEPENDENT PARLIAMENTARY STANDARDS AUTHORITY COMMITTEE

ICT

Ben Bradshaw: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority how many mobile telephones, BlackBerrys and laptops were lost by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority in (a) 2013 and (b) 2014 to date.

Charles Walker: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. I have asked IPSA to reply.
	Letter from Marcial Boo, July 2014
	As Chief Executive of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking about the loss of IT equipment.
	In 2013 and 2014 to date, no mobile telephones, BlackBerrys or laptops were lost by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Afghanistan

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if her Department will review its decision in 2012 to end its involvement in the Bost Agri project; and if she will make an assessment of any lessons to be learned from that decision and its consequences.

Justine Greening: There are no plans to review the decision to end DFID's involvement in the Bost Agricultural Park project.
	The Bost industrial business park proposal was originally approved by officials in 2009 at a time when Ministers did not approve spend under £40 million.
	In 2012 it became clear that the project could no longer be completed within the original timeframe and in good order. To avoid wasting taxpayers' money I decided that UK funding for the project should be cancelled. Ministerial oversight has since been strengthened and all programmes worth over £5 million are signed off by Ministers.

Afghanistan

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 11 June 2014, Official Report, column 181W, on Afghanistan, on what date in November 2013 her Department completed its move at Bost airfield; and under whose control that airfield now is.

Justine Greening: DFID's construction work at Bost Airfield was completed in the second half of November 2013.
	Bost Airfield is operated by Afghanistan ministries and municipal government.

Commonwealth

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment she has made of which Commonwealth countries are most at risk from rising sea levels.

Lynne Featherstone: Sea level rise assessments are undertaken at a global and regional level by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The 2014 Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) provides the most authoritative recent evidence. It reports with 'high confidence' rises of mean sea-levels of between 0.32m and 0.98m and an increased frequency of storm surges by 2100. AR5 also assesses the impacts of these changes, highlighting the vulnerability of Small Island States and low lying coastal countries, a number of which are Commonwealth countries.
	DFID is supporting assessments and programmes in some low income Commonwealth countries to help them prepare for sea-level rise. These include Commonwealth countries such as Samoa, Kiribati, Vanuatu and Tuvalu where over £20 million of UK support is being provided through multilateral funds; and Bangladesh where over £120 million of UK bilateral climate support is being used to help the estimated 78 million people vulnerable to sea-level rise and other impacts of climate change.

Developing Countries: Forests

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much funding the Government is providing to the World Bank to prevent deforestation; over what period such funding will be provided; and how many hectares of rainforest are being protected from such deforestation.

Lynne Featherstone: The UK Government is providing £215 million through the World Bank to support a number of interventions that collectively address the drivers of deforestation. These comprise a range of medium to long term initiatives, starting between 2009 and 2013 and due to end between 2020 and 2028.
	A number of the programmes are still being established. However, from projects approved so far, 2.5m hectares of forest have been targeted for protection. Some of the projects will also support the livelihoods of those that depend on forests as well as addressing forest protection.

Developing Countries: Private Finance Initiative

Fiona O'Donnell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what her policy is on advising other countries on the use of private finance initiative-type financing models to low-income countries either directly or through the International Finance Corporation.

Justine Greening: DFID does not have a policy either directly or indirectly of advising countries on the use of private finance initiative-type financing models.

Iraq

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent steps her Department has made in providing humanitarian aid to the Kurdistan Regional Government in response to the influx of refugees to that area.

Justine Greening: We are deeply concerned by the escalating humanitarian crisis in Iraq. The UK was the first country to send a team to the region, deploying three DFID experts to Erbil in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. DFID announced a package of emergency humanitarian assistance totalling £5 million, which will reach over 140,000 displaced people, or 28% of those affected, with life-saving assistance. We have also offered to provide technical humanitarian assistance to the Kurdistan Regional Government.

Iraq

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what conditions her Department has imposed on the release of development aid for Iraq; and what arrangements she has made for oversight of the distribution of such aid.

Justine Greening: All UK assistance for Iraq is channelled through organisations that have experience of delivering humanitarian aid in difficult and dangerous places. All partners that receive UK funding must also demonstrate full compliance with humanitarian principles. NGO partners have to be pre-qualified to apply for funding under DFID's Rapid Response Facility, which is the mechanism that we are currently using in Iraq. This process applies a rigorous process of due diligence, where organisations must demonstrate clear and accountable governance structures, with transparent and accountable financial procedures. UN agencies are assured through the Multilateral Aid Review (MAR).

Ministers: Official Cars

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many journeys Ministers of her Department have made using the Government Car Service; and how many such journeys were for the transportation of a red box.

Lynne Featherstone: The information cannot be provided without incurring disproportionate cost.

CABINET OFFICE

Children: Cancer

Andrew Turner: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the child cancer rate is in each English parliamentary constituency.

Brooks Newmark: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated July 2014
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking what the child cancer rate is in each English parliamentary constituency.
	Table 1 provides the rate of cancers diagnosed per 100,000 children, for each parliamentary constituency in England. Figures are based on cancers diagnosed from 2002 to 2012 (the latest year available) combined, to provide statistically robust rates.
	In line with national and international conventions, children have been defined as persons under the age of 15 at diagnosis. This is consistent with the definition used in ONS cancer survival publications, in which estimates are consistently presented for children (aged 0-14 years) and adults (aged 15-99 years) separately.
	A copy of Table 1 has been placed in the House of Commons Library.
	The latest published figures on cancer incidence in England are available on the National Statistics website at:
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/re-reference-tables.html?edition=tcm%3A77-302299

Electronic Government

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what assessment he has made of the number of copycat websites which charge fees for free Government services.

Francis Maude: I refer the hon. Member to the answer my hon. Friend the Member for Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner (Mr Hurd), gave on 10 July 2014, Official Report, column 361W, to the hon. Member for Barnsley East (Michael Dugher).

Pay

Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  how many officials in his Department, of each grade, have remained at that grade since 2010 but received a pay rise; and how much of a rise each such person at each such grade has received;
	(2)  how many officials of each grade in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, have remained at that grade since 2010 but received a pay rise; and how much of a rise each such person at each such grade has received.

Francis Maude: The Deputy Prime Minister’s Office and the Office of the Leader of the House of Commons are integral parts of the Cabinet Office and are included in this reply.
	Information about payroll costs and non-consolidated pay awards in the Cabinet Office are available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/payroll-costs-and-non-consolidated-pay-data
	Further information about pay costs is also available in the Cabinet Office Annual Report and Accounts and are available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/cabinet-office-annual-reports-and-accounts#

Procurement

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  how much and what proportion of (a) his Department's budget and (b) the budget of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minster was spent for activities which were contracted out in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11, (c) 2011-12, (d) 2012-13 and (e) 2013-14; and how much and what proportion of his Department's budget he expects to be contracted out in 2014-15;
	(2)  how much and what proportion of No. 10 Downing Street's budget was spent on activities which were contracted out in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11, (c) 2011-12, (d) 2012-13 and (e) 2013-14; and how much and what proportion of No. 10 Downing Street's budget he expects to be contracted out in 2014-15.

Francis Maude: My Department outsources with Bouygues, Fujitsu (contracts signed under the previous Administration), with the mutual joint venture MyCSP (signed in 2012) and Shared Services Connected Limited (signed in 2013).
	As breakdown by year is:
	
		
			  £ 
			 2009-10 10,370,213 
			 2010-11 12,567,173 
			 2011-12 18,417,184 
			 2012-13 54,189 
			 2013-14 832,189 
		
	
	Departmental resource and capital budgets are published online.

Terminal Illnesses

Liz Kendall: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people were dismissed from employment on incapacity grounds following diagnosis of a terminal health condition in each of the last five years.

Francis Maude: The Cabinet Office has no central record of any dismissals from the Department on incapacity grounds following diagnosis of a terminal health condition in the last five years.